English undergraduate awards | English Language and Literature

There are three types of awards:

Those for which students and faculty can submit
Those that require only faculty nomination
Other awards for which all students in the department are automatically eligible

All submissions for awards must be handed in January 19, 2024. Award prizes range from $150 to $1200.

Student-submitted awards

Students will submit their own work. Students should submit only one entry per award, and should not submit the same work for multiple awards. In the case of coauthored work, all coauthors must meet eligibility requirements and, in the event they receive the award, the amount will be split evenly among the authors. When you are ready to submit, consult the general upload guidelines.

Award	Description
Albert Shaw Annual Poetry Award	Award in memory of hockey player and poetry lover Albert Shaw. 1-5 poems, maximum total length: 10 standard pages (250 words per page). Two judges.
Award in American Literature and Culture	For the year's outstanding essay in American Literature. One judge.
Canadian Literature Prize	For the year's outstanding essay in Canadian Literature. One judge.
Diaspora and Transnational Studies Prize	Awarded to the best essay or creative project (e.g. personal essay, fiction, poetry) on a subject related to Diaspora, Transnational, and/or Postcolonial topics submitted for an English course in the past calendar year. One judge.
English Society Creative Writing Award for Poetry	1-5 poems. Maximum total length: 10 standard pages (250 words per page). Two judges.
English Society Creative Writing Award for Prose	1-5 short prose works or extracts from longer works to a maximum total length of 10 standard pages. Maximum total length: 10 standard pages (250 words per page). Two judges.
The G.R. Hibbard Shakespeare Prize	For the year's outstanding essay on Shakespeare. One judge.
Janice Del Matto Memorial Award in Creative Writing	Awarded annually to a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in Year Two, Three, or Four of the Honours English program with a declared Creative Writing Specialization in the Faculty of Arts. Selection will be made on the basis of academic excellence (minimum 75% cumulative average) and a sample of creative writing submitted by the applicant.
Olive Carrick Scholarship in English	A scholarship, valued at $2,000, will be awarded annually to a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in Year Three or Four of the Literature program in the Department of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Arts. Selection is based on academic excellence (minimum 80% cumulative average) combined with extracurricular involvement in the arts and culture sector. For award and application information, see the Olive Carrick Scholarship in English page on the Student Awards & Financial Aid office site. Applications are due by February 1.
The Rhetoric and Digital Design Award	The department will accept submissions from students and nominations by professors of digitally-based projects completed in an English class at uWaterloo. Submissions should be examples of digital design. Assignments that analyze digital artifacts should be submitted to another appropriate award. Two judges.
The Rhetoric and Professional Writing Award	The department will accept submissions from students and nominations by professors of any work of technical communication, professional writing, textual editing, or paper-based design completed in an English class at uWaterloo or an English co-op workterm. Submissions should be examples of professional or technical communication. Assignments that analyze texts should be submitted to another appropriate award. Two judges.

Ready to submit?

Faculty-Nominated Awards

Faculty members, including sessional and graduate instructors, can nominate work submitted in their courses during the past calendar year. Sessional and graduate instructors are, at this time, unable to submit via the online portal; please email englaward@uwaterloo.ca and the Department will assist you with your submission.

Please note that each submission can only be entered into one award competition and typically, faculty submit no more than one essay for an award per course taught. All submissions must conform to the applicable guidelines.

Award	Description
Andrew James Dugan Memorial Prize in Literature	Awarded to the best essay written on a literary question or subject and submitted in a 300-or- 400 level English class in the past calendar year by an English major. Two judges.
Andrew James Dugan Memorial Prize in Rhetoric and Professional Writing	Awarded to the best written document engaging with a rhetoric and/or professional communication question or subject and submitted in a 300-or-400 level English class in the past calendar year by an English major. Two judges.
Award in American Literature and Culture	For the year's outstanding essay in American Literature. One judge.
Award for Outstanding Performance in an English Course	Awarded to a student for outstanding work in an English course. The award may be given for an exceptional paper or other assignment, for outstanding improvement in the quality of work over the course, for outstanding contributions to class discussion or community over a term, or for a combination of these efforts. Winners are recognized on the department’s website.
Canadian Literature Prize	For the year's outstanding essay in Canadian Literature. One judge.
Diaspora and Transnational Studies Prize	Awarded to the best essay or creative project (e.g. personal essay, fiction, poetry) on a subject related to Diaspora, Transnational, and/or Postcolonial topics submitted for an English course in the past calendar year. One judge.
Donald R. and Mary E. Snider Literary Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction Writing	Awarded to an undergraduate student enrolled in full-time studies and registered in a course in English Language and Literature for the best written document in non-fiction writing, either a rhetorical research essay on a speech or a piece of life writing. Up to two awards.
The G.R. Hibbard Shakespeare Prize	For the year's outstanding essay on Shakespeare. One judge.
Rhetoric and Digital Design Award	The department will accept submissions from students and nominations by professors of digitally-based projects completed in an English class at uWaterloo. Submissions should be examples of digital design. Assignments that analyze digital artifacts should be submitted to another appropriate award.Two judges.
Rhetoric and Professional Writing Award	The department will accept submissions from students and nominations by professors of any work of technical communication, professional writing, textual editing, or paper-based design completed in an English class at uWaterloo or an English co-op workterm. Submissions should be examples of professional or technical communication. Assignments that analyze texts should be submitted to another appropriate award. Two judges.
Walter R. Martin English 251 Award	Faculty who teach English 251: Literary Theory and Criticism (Formerly 251A: Criticism 1) may nominate up to two outstanding students. Candidates will be invited to write a special exam demonstrating application of critical methods for literary analysis. Award is based on the result of the special exam. One judge.

Ready to submit?

Other Awards

Students registered in the appropriate department programs are automatically eligible for these awards.

Award	Description
Co-op Reflective Report Award	For the best Reflective Report written by a co-op student as part of their Professional Development course requirements during the calendar year preceding the March Awards ceremony. Two judges.
Emerging English Scholar Award	Awarded annually to a student who has joined the English major in the previous calendar year based on academic merit demonstrated in their 1A and 1B terms, which must have included at least two English courses.