Student Prizes

Every year, the Department of English & Creative Writing offers prizes for distinguished writing by Wellesley College students. 

 

                

2024 ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PRIZES

 

  • The Florence Annette Wing Memorial Prize for Lyric Poetry.  Established by Mabel Wing Castle, Class of 1887, in memory of her sister, for a lyric poem (not to exceed 32 lines)
  • The Virginia Wainwright Sonnet Prize.
  • The Academy of American Poets Prize. For all genres and lengths of poems
  • The Mary Ann Youngren Award for Critical Reading. Established by Diana Lissauer Fraid for a short (3500 words or less) literary critical essay that demonstrates a detailed responsiveness to the shape and substance of a work of literature in English
  • The Jacqueline Award for Literary Essay. Established by Eleanor and Rosamond Peck in memory of their sister. Awarded to a senior for a longer (3500 words or more) literary critical essay that demonstrates a detailed responsiveness to the shape and substance of a work [or works] of literature in English 
  • The Agnes F. Perkins Prize for Literary Essay. Awarded to a first year, sophomore or junior for a longer (3500 words or more) literary critical essay that demonstrates a detailed responsiveness to the shape and substance of a work [or works] of literature in English 
  • The Johanna Mankiewicz Davis Prize for Prose Fiction. Established by Peter Davis in memory of Joanna Mankiewicz Davis, Class of 1958, for a short story (including flash fiction and the short-short story)
  • The Mary Lyons Prize for Writing. Established by the friends of Mary Lyon, former editor of The Wellesley Alumnae Magazine. Awarded to a junior or senior for a creative non-fiction essay (personal essay, travel essay, memoir essay, personal reportage, literary or cultural reviews for a non-specialist audience, etc.)
  • The Charlotte Paul Reese ‘38 Memorial Prize for Creativity in Writing. Established by Robert Reese and Harriet Chamberlain Wilson, Class of 1938, for a longer work (novel, novella, play, or screenplay) or a collection (collection of short stories, collection of creative non-fiction essays, or collection of poems)
  • English Department Prize for Excellence in Translation. Established by the Wellesley Club UK. For translation of an essay, short story, or poem (the original must accompany the translation)

Submission Guidelines:

For EACH entry, submit:  

An PDF (not a google doc) of your manuscript and cover sheet (available at www.wellesley.edu/English/prizes) sent as e-mail attachments addressed to English-Prizes@wellesley.edu. Specify the appropriate prize name -- “Wing,” “Wainwright,” “American Academy of Poets,” etc. -- in the subject line. 

Each entry should be labeled on page 1 of the manuscript with the Student’s name and graduating class year. Entries must be typewritten, double-spaced (poems may be single spaced), pages numbered. If you're not sure whether your essay is "shorter" or "longer," just submit and the Prize Committee Chair will make sure each essay finds it proper category!

Students may submit ONE ENTRY for EACH prize.

2024 Prize Committee:

Ms. Sides, Chair; Ms. Cezair-Thompson, Mr. González, Mr. Whitaker

Deadline is Monday, April 8, 2024, at 4 p.m. EST

 

Click here for 2023 student prize winners.