I. The Department of English offers a number of significant awards each year in essay writing, poetry, fiction, and academic achievement.

For some of the awards, one must be nominated by the department:

  • The Harriet Perkins Prize for an outstanding senior majoring in English
  • The Ann Barger Nemet scholarship(s) for Creative Writing.

For other awards, those stemming from various writing competitions, one must submit an entry. Announcements of each year’s prize competitions are available in the department office shortly before spring break; they are published in an awards booklet. The current prizes are:

  • The Karl Lemmerman Prize for the best essay by a first-year student
  • The Holden Prize for the best essay by an upper-division (sophomore, junior, or senior) student
  • The Finley Foster/Emily M. Hills Poetry Prize for the best poem or group of poems
  • The Emily M. Hills Award for the best poem or essay written by a woman in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • The Helen B. Sharnoff Award for poetry of some formal distinction
  • The Edith Garber Krotinger Prize for Creative Writing other than poetry
  • The Eleanor Leuser Award for outstanding writing for or about children by a student enrolled in a creative writing course

II. Annual Arnaud Gelb Journalism Awards and Internship Grants (Annual Awards)

Up to $2000 in Prize Money and Internship Funding

3 Categories:

  • Any nonfiction news or feature story under 500 words (no personal essays)
  • Any nonfiction news or feature story more than 500 words (no personal essays)
  • Any nonfiction news or feature story about sports (any length)

**Only one submission per student per category. Previously published stories and unpublished classwork are both acceptable.

Open to all current CWRU undergraduate students. Deadline in March (varies by year).

Arnaud Gelb earned an MBA from the CWRU Weatherhead School of Management in 2010. He worked as a sports reporter focusing on basketball and most recently as a correspondent for basketusa.com, the largest French basketball news site. Arnaud died in 2016 at 31 years old. His wife Kelly Buchanan-Gelb (also a CWRU graduate) established this fund in his name to honor his passion for journalism. The fund will also provide grants to defray costs for students working in unpaid journalism internships. For further information, contact the department.

III. Tim O’Brien English Scholarship for Internships and Research Travel Support Fund

These awards are only for undergraduates. Preference is given to English majors.

–Tim O’Brien English Scholarships for Internships (further info here)

Maximum Award: $2,000.

Funded through generous donations from English Department alumnus Tim O’Brien, scholarships are available to undergraduates who are participating in an internship at CWRU or elsewhere between May 15, 2023, and August 31, 2023. Preference is given to English majors.

Eligibility: Stipends are available to undergraduates at Case Western Reserve University. Awards do not impact students’ financial aid.

Reporting: Stipends will be paid in one payment to be determined based on the dates of the internship.  All awardees will be required to produce a final report (2 pages in length) at the completion of their internship.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis now through May 19, 2023. (See application cover sheet here.)

–Tim O’Brien English Research Travel Support Fund (further info here)

Maximum Award: $1,000.

Funded through generous donations from English Department alumnus Tim O’Brien, awards are available for travel and research support to undergraduates working on projects related to literature, film, journalism or writing studies between April 1, 2023, and August 31, 2023. Preference is given to English majors.

Eligibility: Stipends are available to undergraduates at Case Western Reserve University. Awards do not impact students’ financial aid.

Reporting: Stipends will be paid in one payment to be determined based on the dates of the research travel.  All awardees will be required to produce a final report (2 pages in length) at the completion of their project.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis now through May 19, 2023. (See application cover sheet here.)