English Department Awards and Prizes 2012 For Graduate Students All submissions are due March 16, 2012 by 5:00 p.m. (the Friday during Spring Break) except the Shakespeare Essay Prize Contest. The A.D. and Frances Wilson Memorial Grant... 2 The Calista Cumings Award... 2 Donald A. and Laura Jane Keister Memorial Essay Prize in Literature... 2 John T. Dukes Memorial Essay Prize in Composition Studies... 3 Literary Guild Student Service Prize... 4 Marian Smith Short Story Prize... 4 The Mary K. Kirtz Literary Essay Prize in International Literature... 5 Othella and Hilah Dukes Memorial Scholarship... 5 Sam Ella Dukes Memorial Poetry Prize... 6 Shakespeare Essay Prize Contest... 6 Carl H. and Dorothy S. Bauer Scholarship... 7 Each award has specific requirements. Please note that submissions must meet the guidelines for each award to be fully considered. All awards are to be submitted to the appropriate mailboxes in The English Department in Olin 301 unless otherwise specified. updated 2/7/12
The A.D. and Frances Wilson Memorial Grant This award is in memory of A.D. and Frances Wilson, the uncle and aunt of an English Department faculty member. Mrs. Wilson was a long-time educator in the elementary grades who emphasized the importance of reading to her students, and Mr. Wilson was a forester who did a lot of education work with children, young people, and the community at large about nature and its preservation. Prize: $500 Any Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOMFA) student whose gateway school is The University of Akron and who has twelve graduate credits or more in English. Application is by letter to the A.D. and Frances Wilson Memorial Grant Committee. Applicants should explain in their letter why they are pursuing the MFA, what they are learning, and what their career plans are. In support of their applications, they may attach to the letter their transcripts and a writing sample of five to ten pages. A student may receive the award more than once. Submit application to the Wilson Memorial Grant mailbox in the English Department. The Calista Cumings Award An Akron schoolteacher who taught math with poetry, Calista Cumings created and edited Akron s earliest successful literary magazine, The Akron Offering. Working with limited assistance, inadequate funding, and an inexperienced local publishing industry, she provided a forum for Midwestern authors to exchange original literature in 1849 and 1850. Her magazine only survived for twelve monthly numbers, but Cumings editorial work, characterized by a clear head and a kind heart, was fondly remembered for many decades. All UA graduate and undergraduate students. Three copies of a paper on a topic in American Literature before 1900. Paper must be written for a class in 2011. Cover sheet must include (1) student name; (2) email address; (3) current mailing address; (4) class for which the paper was written. Use a header with page numbers and the last name of the author on each page. Paper must be printed in dark ink for easy reading. Submissions due: March 16 in the mailbox of Dr. Diana Reep, Olin 301. 2
Donald A. and Laura Jane Keister Memorial Essay Prize in Literature This prize honors the memory of Donald A. Keister, a former chair of the Department of English and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The essay prize will be awarded each April for an outstanding essay in literary studies written by a graduate student and chosen by a committee of English graduate literature faculty selected by the Chair of the department. Currently enrolled UA graduate students who have written an essay in literary studies for a course in the Department of English. Submit three, non-returnable copies of an essay written in the last year to the Keister Prize mailbox in the English Department. Include a cover letter stating for what course, during what semester, and for which professor the essay was written (if applicable). Do not include your name on the essay itself. Requirements: All submissions must be typed, double-spaced in 12-point font. Essay length: 10-20 pages. Any referenced sources (not required) must conform to MLA style. Only one submission per person. No submission may be submitted for another Department of English prize or scholarship. Submission should be enclosed in an outer 8 1/2 x 11 envelope marked only "Keister." No name should appear on the outer envelope. Envelope should then be placed in the Keister Prize mailbox in the English Department. The committee s decision will be final. John T. Dukes Memorial Essay Prize in Composition Studies The John T. Dukes Memorial Essay Prize in Composition honors the memory of John T. Dukes, father of a faculty member in the Department of English. John T. Dukes was an Army sergeant and barber who had always longed for higher education but was unable to pursue it due to profound dyslexia. This literary prize will be awarded each year to an outstanding essay in composition studies written by a graduate student and chosen by a committee of English Department faculty members, selected by the Chair of the Department of English. The committee deems outstanding to be the most insightful, most theoretically and/or methodologically sound, and best written in short, an essay that makes a significant contribution to the field of composition studies. 3
Requirements: Essay must have been written during the spring, summer, or fall semester of the preceding calendar year. All submissions must be typed, double-spaced in 12-point font. All referenced sources should conform to MLA style. Only one submission allowed per person. No paper submitted to this contest may be submitted to another Department of English contest, nor will a paper submitted to another contest be accepted by this one. Submit three, non-returnable copies with a cover letter to Dr. Svehla's office mailbox, or email him the essay and cover letter as an attachment lms3@uakron.edu. State in the email or cover letter for what course, during what semester, and for what professor the essay was written. Submissions must not exceed 25 pages. The paper could be from any of the department s courses, so long as it contributes to the field of composition studies. The committee s decision will be final. Literary Guild Student Service Prize We wish to recognize student contributions to the literary life of the English Department, the campus, and the wider community. The prize will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student whose outstanding efforts outside the classroom have enriched the experiences of others in the department. The prize committee will solicit nominations from English Department faculty. The prize committee will then evaluate nominations to determine the award recipient. The award will be presented at the Student Award reception in each year. Prize: $50 Marian Smith Short Story Prize This prize honors the memory of Marian H. Smith, the beloved aunt of a University of Akron faculty member who loved to tell good stories and did. The prize is open to any University of Akron graduate student and any student enrolled in the Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing as part of the Northeast Ohio University Consortium. Submit one short story of any subject matter, up to 25 pages. Submit your best work. Include a cover sheet with "Marion H. Smith Prize (year)" typed at the top, the title of the story, the writer's name, level (grad or undergrad), postal address, email, and phone number. No manuscripts will be returned. 4
Submission should be enclosed in an outer 8 1/2 x 11 envelope marked only "Marian Smith." No name should appear on the outer envelope. Envelope should be placed in the Marian Smith mailbox in the English Department. The Mary K. Kirtz Literary Essay Prize in International Literature The Mary K. Kirtz Literary Essay Prize in International Literature, funded by Dr. Mary K. Kirtz, honors the achievements of her students who studied Canadian, Modern Russian, Modern European, and Holocaust literatures in the Department of English. This literary prize will be awarded for an outstanding undergraduate or graduate essay on any world literature topic, with the exception of American or British literature. Prize: $200 Any UA undergraduate or graduate student Submit one essay written within the past year for an English Department course concerning international literature, including Holocaust literatures. Essay must be between 10-25 pages in length. Essay must be double-spaced on white bond paper with numbered pages. Your name should not appear on the essay. Submit a cover sheet with your name, mailing address, UA email address and telephone number. Place the envelope in the Kirtz Prize mailbox in the English Department. Othella and Hilah Dukes Memorial Scholarship The Othella and Hilah Dukes Memorial Scholarship was created by Dr. J. Thomas Dukes in memory of his uncle and aunt. Prize: $500 a graduate student in literature who has completed 12 or more hours in graduate literature courses at the time of application. Application letter should describe: The literature course work the applicant has completed toward the M.A. The course work or thesis work remaining for the degree. Career plans upon completion of the M.A. Letter may address any other material the applicant believes is relevant to receiving the award. Submit materials to the Othella & Hilah Dukes Scholarship mailbox in the English Department. 5
Sam Ella Dukes Memorial Poetry Prize This prize honors the memory of Sam Ella Dukes, who taught English in the public schools of Florida and South Carolina for over forty years. The prize will be awarded each April by a committee of English department faculty appointed by the chair of the department. The prize is open to any undergraduate or graduate student. Prize: Graduate Students: 1 st prize of $125, 2 nd prize of $75 Undergraduate Students: 1 st prize of $100 and 2 nd prize of $50. All UA undergraduate and graduate students Enter up to three poems consisting of no more than six pages total. Subject matter is open to the poet. On a separate page, include the poet's name, level (grad or undergrad), postal address, email address, and phone number. The poems themselves should appear without any identifying information; in other words, the poet s name and address should NOT appear on the same pages as the poems. No manuscripts will be returned. The winners will be announced by the Department of English. Submit work to: The Sam Ella Dukes Memorial Poetry Prize, c/o Dr. Mary Biddinger, Department of English, The University of Akron, 44325-1906. Submissions may also be dropped off in Dr. Biddinger s mailbox in the English Department. Questions may be directed to marybid@uakron.edu. Shakespeare Essay Prize Contest Prizes: One graduate prize: $150 One undergraduate prize: $150 At least three other prizes: $100 each Submit two clean non-returnable copies of your Shakespeare paper written in the last twelve months for a UA English department course. All submissions must be in MLA documentation style and include a Works Cited page. Include your name, UA email address, phone number, instructor s name, the class name, course number, and the date the paper was originally submitted to the class. Please note that the deadline for this award is March 5, 2012. Contact: Dr. Joseph Ceccio jceccio@uakron.edu 330-972-7603 6
Carl H. and Dorothy S. Bauer Scholarship The Carl H. and Dorothy S. Bauer Scholarship provides funds to exceptional undergraduate as well as returning and incoming graduate students of excellent caliber in the Department of English; it is restricted to candidates majoring in English. The award recognizes overall excellence, in areas including academic performance, creative accomplishment, and community engagement. Prize: The Bauer award level fluctuates from year to year. All candidates must be nominated by a faculty member; nominated candidates must then submit application materials to the by the Bauer Scholarship Committee of the Department of English. Criteria: Applications must include A letter of nomination from a faculty member specifying why the candidate is worthy of consideration. Graduate students who are preparing to enter the University of Akron's program may be nominated from faculty at their undergraduate institution. A letter of no more than 2 pages from the applicant, outlining interests and accomplishments (academic and otherwise). A CV may be included. Application materials may include mention of service to the department or field, any conference presentations or publications, and honors received, as well as quality of coursework. Recipients must be full- or part-time English undergraduate or graduate students registering for English coursework in Fall of 2012. To be eligible, students must have a GPA of 3.0 or better. Place materials in Dr. Nunn s mailbox. 7