Program in Creative Writing Honors and Awards

The Margaret C. Annan Memorial Prizes
Established in Margaret Annan's memory by her students, the prize supports three summer writing projects—one each in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—and is awarded to third-year students in recognition of excellence in creative writing and in support of a summer writing project. 

• Prize: $1000 (one prize for each genre)
• Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
• Eligibility: Third-year students in the College.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit a maximum of 10 pages in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
    • Fiction and Nonfiction submissions must be double-spaced.
  • Entry is limited to one submission per genre. (Students can, however, submit different pieces to multiple genres.)
  • Please follow any additional formatting guidelines listed on the submission pages (links below).
• Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026 at 11:59PM
• Submission Links:
  • Fiction: https://forms.office.com/r/1H33c7X4t2
  • Nonfiction: https://forms.office.com/r/7yB1jGPFSV
  • Poetry: https://forms.office.com/r/3UUcfVvvC5 

The David Blair McLaughlin Prizes
Awarded for essays written by students in the graduating class who demonstrate special skill and sense of form in the writing of English prose.

• First Prize: $300 | Second Prize: $150
• Genre: Nonfiction
• Eligibility: Fourth-year students and/or College students in the graduating class.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit one submission (maximum of 25 double-spaced pages) in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • Entry is limited to only one essay submission per student. (Students can, however, submit to multiple prizes.)
  • Please follow any additional formatting guidelines listed on the submission page (link below).
• Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: https://forms.office.com/r/FnPGW8Tdn1 

The Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prizes
Awarded for original short stories or novel extracts written by students in the graduating class.

• First Prize: $1000 | Second Prize: $500
• Genre: Fiction
• Eligibility: Fourth-year students and/or College students in the graduating class.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit one short story or novel excerpt (maximum of 25 double-spaced pages) in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • If your submission is a novel excerpt, please note this at the beginning of the submission. You may also include a brief explanatory preference if necessary.
  • Entry is limited to one submission per student. (Students can, however, submit to multiple prizes.)
  • Please follow any additional formatting guidelines listed on the submission page (link below).
  • Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026 at 11:59PM
  • Submission Link: https://forms.office.com/r/50GBZ5GUpY 

The John Billings Fiske Poetry Prize
Awarded for the best original poem or cycle of poems by a student in the graduating class.

• Prize: $500
• Genre: Poetry
• Eligibility: Fourth-year students and/or College students in the graduating class.
• Guidelines:
  • Submit one poem, or cycle of poems (maximum of 10 pages), in PDF or Doc/Docx format.
  • Entry is limited to one submission per student. (Student's can, however, submit to multiple prizes.)
  • Please follow any additional formatting guidelines listed on the submission page (link below).
• Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026 at 11:59PM
• Submission Link: https://forms.office.com/r/n4VMZCT512

Teju Cole, Andrea Long Chu, and Richard Siken. 

Les River Fellowship for Young Novelists
The Les River Fellowship for Young Novelists was established by Dorothy River in 2016 in honor and memory of her husband, W. Leslie River, Ph.B.’25. One Les River Fellowship of $5,000 will be awarded annually to a writer of fiction completing a BA project in Creative Writing, to support the development of a work of fiction towards publication. The expectation is that the Fellowship will enable uninterrupted work or travel for research purposes during the summer after graduation.

Fourth-year students and/or College students in the graduating class will be nominated by faculty each Spring.

Elsie Filippi Memorial Prize in Poetry 
The Elsie Filippi Memorial Prize in Poetry is Presented to a student in the graduating class in the College who shows distinction in poetic composition.

Fourth-year students and/or College students in the graduating class will be nominated by faculty each Spring.

Can I submit something that has already been published elsewhere?

Yes! You may even choose to specify in your application where the piece has already appeared.

The prose piece I am submitting is under the page limit. Should I submit another piece?

You may submit more than one piece to comprise your portfolio, but we recommend that you only do so if you see both pieces cohering in some way or complementing each other to represent your work. If you have one great piece, you should feel free to submit it alone—even if it is under the page limit.

When will I hear back about my submission?

For prizes with an March 15 deadline, winners will be notified in April. For prizes with event-related deadlines, winners will be notified in advance of the event.

I’m not a Creative Writing major or minor. Can I still apply?

Yes! You will want to pay close attention to the eligibility requirements, but students with other majors and minors are welcome to apply.