Awards and Prizes

Eligibility and Nominations

Virginia Walter Scholarship

This scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding English major. Candidates, who are nominated by faculty, must have a GPA of 3.6 and have completed at least six upper-division English courses. The winner must be enrolled at the time of winning the award. Faculty wishing to nominate a student should submit a letter of recommendation to the Undergraduate Office. Nominees for the award will then be asked to submit the following:

• an unmarked copy of an essay written for an English class
• a C.V.
• a letter describing their work as an English major

A committee appointed by the Head in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator will judge the nominees based on their submitted materials, academic records, and faculty recommendations.

Joshua David Brown Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to the outstanding rising junior in the English Department. Candidates, who are nominated by faculty, must have a GPA of 3.6. Faculty wishing to nominate a student should submit a letter of recommendation to the Undergraduate Office. Nominees for the award will then be asked to submit the following:

•  an unmarked copy of an essay written for an English class 
• a C.V. 
• a 200-250-word statement describing your reasons for becoming an English major and the kind of study you wish to pursue (i.e., what are your interests in English studies? what brought you to the major? how are you using the major, and the various options it provides, to pursue your interests?).

A committee appointed by the Head in consultation with the Undergraduate Coordinator judges the nominees based on on their submitted materials, academic record, and faculty recommendations.

Undergraduate Essay Prizes (including the Anita Morrison Thomas Essay Award)

The English Department awards three Undergraduate Essay Prizes for critical writing at the upper-division level: one for an essay focused on primary materials, one for an essay that makes extensive use of secondary sources, and one, the Anita Morrison Thomas Essay Award, for an essay devoted to a culturally diverse and/or female author. Faculty members may nominate no more than two essays written by their students. To nominate a student, the faculty member should submit the following to the Undergraduate Office, either in hard copy, or as digital attachments:

• a clean copy of the nominated essay, free of any marks identifying the student and nominating faculty
• a copy of the assignment for the essay without the faculty member's name
• a separate cover sheet that includes the student's name, the faculty member's name, and a copy of the assignment

Virginia Rucker Walter Poetry Prize

Every year, undergraduate students are invited to enter the annual Virginia Rucker Walter Poetry Prize. Students may submit up to three poems for consideration.
 
The competition is judged by a different UGA Creative Writing Ph.D. Program alumna/us each year. Information on how to enter the contest will be circulated through the English Department's undergraduate listserv in February. If you have any questions, please email the Creative Writing Program: cwp@uga.edu

H. Grady Hutcherson Memorial Georgia Access Scholarship in English

This scholarship provides a generous contribution toward UGA tuition for the following year. Candidates must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, a declared major in English, and demonstrated financial need, as determined by UGA’s Office of Student Financial Aid. Only students who have applied for financial aid through OSFA are eligible. Preference is given for rising juniors or seniors, and recipients must be planning to enroll for the following fall term.

The Undergraduate Coordinator will send out a call for applications in January or February each year. Applicants will be asked to submit:

• A coversheet with your name, UGA email address, UGA ID number
• The names of two UGA professors or instructors who are familiar with your academic work (ideally, with your work in English) and willing to write a brief recommendation for you. (The undergraduate office will contact these professors to request recommendation letters).
• A short personal essay (maximum of two double-spaced pages) on your path to the English major, your experiences in English, the connections between your English degree and your future plans, and anything else you would like to share about yourself with the committee.

Prigge Family Scholarship in English

This scholarship provides a generous contribution toward UGA tuition for the following year. Candidates must be rising juniors or seniors, with a GPA of 3.3 or higher (above 3.5 is preferred), and a declared major in English. Preference is given to students with financial need, as determined by UGA’s Office of Student Financial Aid. Recipients must be planning to enroll for the following fall term.

The Undergraduate Coordinator will send out a call for applications in January or February each year. Applicants will be asked to submit:

• A coversheet with your name, UGA email address, UGA ID number
• The names of two UGA professors or instructors who are familiar with your academic work (ideally, with your work in English) and willing to write a brief recommendation for you. (The undergraduate office will contact these professors to request recommendation letters).
• A short personal essay (maximum of two double-spaced pages) on your path to the English major, your experiences in English, the connections between your English degree and your future plans, and anything else you would like to share about yourself with the committee.

R. Baxter Miller Award in African American and Multicultural Literature

Named in honor of faculty member Dr. R. Baxter Miller, this fund provides monetary awards for excellence in African American and Multicultural Literature by graduate and undergraduate students. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of English; students in African American Studies and Romance Languages may also be considered, if the selection committee assesses their literary work as appropriate and competitive.  

Application packages should be submitted to the Department Head’s office. The selection committee will recognize one undergraduate student and one graduate student. To be eligible, candidates can not be graduating in May or August of the current year and must have a GPA of 3.3 or higher (preferably 3.5 in the major). Applications for this award should include:

• two letters of support by faculty in literary or cultural studies
• a cogent, two-page statement of purpose of future career plans

 

Spark Fellowship in Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Program in the Department of English runs the annual SPARK Fellowship competition. This is an opportunity for undergraduate study abroad combining Creative Writing with cultural translation. The SPARK Fellowship provides financial support of up to $4,000 for a student’s independent summer study abroad, involving the pursuit of a project that will combine creative writing and cultural translation. The term cultural translation encompasses a wide variety of possible projects, including the literary translation of texts into English or the reflection of intercultural experiences through language or art. Previous projects have included the creation of a blog that was updated daily with observations, photographs, and short videos; and a short documentary film featuring interviews with relevant scholars and artists. Learn more at: https://english.uga.edu/spark