The UMD Department of English, Linguistics and Writing Studies is pleased to announce the following essay and writing prizes:
The Lawrence Wright Essay Prize—$100
Named for a late professor in the UMD English Department, this prize is awarded for the best original critical or analytical essay written by a declared English or Communications Arts major or minor in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s BA or BAA program on a topic in linguistics, in literature, or in teaching methods. The range of suitable topics is very wide, and the judging committee has no preference for one kind over the others.
- Wright Contest entries should be 3000-5000 words (10-15 pages) in length, word-processed, single-sided, and double-spaced.
- Manuscript form and documentation should follow a standard scholarly citation format—MLA, Chicago, or APA.
- Only one entry per student is allowed.
Submit all Wright Contest entries to the following Google Form:
https://goo.gl/forms/87x0lzallsqcECAg1
The Mike Lenz Creative Writing Awards—$500 or $100
Named in honor of former English major Mike Lenz, this scholarship will go to the student who submits the best original work of imaginative literature—narrative, dramatic, or lyric—in prose or in verse. Non-English majors are welcome to apply.
The Mike Lenz Creative Writing Scholarship—$500
- Any full-time student at UMD in good standing is eligible for the Lenz Awards.
- Entries in this competition may consist of one piece of prose fiction, creative non-fiction, an extended poem or group of poems, or a play.
- Prose entries should be no longer than 5000 words (15 pages) in length; poetry entries should total between 3 and 5 pages, consisting of a group of poems or one long poem; plays should present an action that requires approximately 15 minutes to perform.
- Entries should be word-processed, single-sided, and double-spaced. Only one entry per student is allowed. Entries should specify which of the writing contests they are for and include name and contact information—especially an e-mail address—of the applicant.
Scholarship applicants must attach a statement about their degree completion plans and anticipated financial need for 2018-2019 to their creative writing prize entries.
The Mike Lenz Creative Writing Prize—$100
Requirements for this award are the same as above, with the exception that a statement of financial need is not necessary. If you intend to apply for this award and not for the Mike Lenz Scholarship, please indicate this in your submission materials.
Submit all Lenz Contest entries to the following Google Form:
https://goo.gl/forms/rrLDUgFOQZUmaegB2
Wright and Lenz prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the judges, and award money may be divided among co-winners in the event of a tie. In the instance of comparable excellence among candidates for the Mike Lenz Scholarship, preference will be given to poets in accord with the bequest.
Submission Deadline:Â March 23, 2018
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