OWU Literary Awards

Open to all students, the departmental literary awards seek to honor the best undergraduate writing in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction/essay, playwriting/screenwriting, and academic and scholarly work. Please click here (PDF) to see our poster with prize information. All entries must be submitted no later than the announced deadline. Use the Submit a Literary Award Entry link to complete a submission.

To see detailed information about the award and view a list of recent recipients, please click on the prize name highlighted in red for a link:

• Class of 1870 Memorial Prizes
  An award for best original work in each of the following genres:
  1. Academic/Scholarly
  2. Fiction
  3. Magazine Feature Writing
  4. Non-Fiction/Essay
  5. Poetry
• The Edward J. Wheeler Poetry Prize
  An award for a meritorious poem or group of poems.
• The Emma Sparks Memorial Prize
  An award "for superior accomplishment in 19th Century English literature." Submissions may be critical essays or research papers, with additional consideration of meritorious course work in the period. English literature is here interpreted to include American literature.
• The Frederick L. Hunt Prize
  An award to the student who, during the current academic year, has shown "the greatest proficiency and promise in creative writing."
• The Lucy Hall Gordon Memorial Poetry Prize
  An award to a full-time junior for the best original work of poetry.
• The Marie Drennan Prize
  An award for the best poem or group of poems.
• The Robert Flanagan Prize
  A prize to the student who submits the best creative writing.
• The T'ai Ananda Merion '96 Memorial Scholarship Prize
  A scholarship for two consecutive spring semesters for a sophomore who shows proficiency and promise in playwriting/screenwriting.
• The Ülle Lewes Prize for Nonfiction Writing
  An award to the student who submits the best original work in the field of nonfiction writing, broadly defined to include personal essays, research papers, scientific writing, feature article writing, persuasive writing, irony, propaganda, parody and so forth.