Scholarships & Prizes

The English Department annually awards several scholarships and prizes to outstanding students in the English Department.

Academic Awards and Scholarships

Students are nominated for these awards by Department Professors at the beginning of each spring term. Award winners are announced later in the spring.

Gary Lindberg Scholarship

This Fund was established with a gift from friends and colleagues in memory of Gary Lindberg, UNH Professor of English. The purpose of this Fund is to provide a scholarship(s) to a full-time undergraduate student at UNH majoring in English. Outstanding ability and academic achievement are criteria in making this award. Preference shall be given to a student(s) in the junior class.

Lucinda and Melvin Smith Award

Lucinda P. and Melvin Smith bequeathed a sum to the University in 1964. Lucinda Smith was a member of the English faculty and Melvin Smith a member of the Chemistry faculty at UNH. The annual income is awarded to both an outstanding junior Chemistry and English major.

Alfred Ernest Richards Award

This Fund was established by Mrs. Richards in memory of her husband, UNH Professor of English from 1919-1945. This award is given to a graduating senior(s) who plans to teach and continue the study of literature.

Alice Margarette Mitchell Scholarship - English

This scholarship, established from the estate of Marion Edwina Mitchell Cutts, is awarded annually to one or more needy students of outstanding ability and good morals who are majoring in English. Preference will be given first to sophomores, then juniors, then seniors, then graduate students (recipient cannot be a graduating senior). This scholarship shall be known as the “Alice Margarette Mitchell Scholarship–English” in memory of her sister.

Edmund Miller Prize For Exceptional Essay in a Literature Course

This prize, established by a gift from Professor Emeritus Ted Miller, will reward outstanding writing on any aspect of literature and culture in a literature course. There will be one award annually in the amount of $200. Criteria for submission: the essay must have been an exceptional paper written as part of the requirements for an upper-level course in literature (i.e., 600 level and up); a professor in a literature class may only nominate 1 essay per 2 semester cycle (i.e., a previous spring and fall); the page limit for the essay is 10 pages; the nominating professor must obtain written permission from the student writer to submit her or his paper.

Writing Awards and Scholarships

Each spring, a call for submissions is posted, at which point students are encouraged to submit writing samples for consideration. Winners are announced at the end of the spring term.

Richard M. Ford Writing Award

This Fund was established by Mr. and Mrs. William J. Ford in memory of their son Richard M. Ford, a member of the Class of 1980. The Ford Memorial Fund provides one to three annual awards, one to a student majoring in Chemistry (and awarded by that department), and one to an undergraduate student involved in the writing courses (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) in the English Department. It is the donor’s intent to honor undergraduate scholarship, creativity, and academic achievement. Financial need is not to be considered as a factor in making this award.

Daniel Morin Poetry Prize

This prize was established by friends and relatives in memory of Daniel Morin who died in 1965. Because of Daniel’s deep interest in poetry, this prize will be awarded to a regularly enrolled student of the Durham campus whose poetry is selected by the Department.

Dick Shea Memorial Award

This award was established by friends and family in memory of Richard John Shea, Class of 1961, and will be granted to the undergraduate or graduate student showing creativity in writing poetry or fiction.

Lt. Albert A. Charait Award

This Fund was established by Mrs. Charait in memory of her husband who died in action during WWII. This gift will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student who writes the best short story.

Laura Rice Journalism Award

This award is given in memory of Laura S. Rice, a promising journalism student who died during her sophomore year on October 21, 2000. The Rice Award is given to a senior journalism student for outstanding reporting and writing over the course of his or her career at UNH. Each applicant should submit a portfolio of five to ten stories.

Michael Kelly Memorial Scholarship

This fund is established in memory of Michael Kelly, Class of 1979. This Scholarship is intended to provide support to sophomore and juniors students interested in journalism who possess high initiative and energy. Awards will be based on exceptional journalistic potential without reference to GPA. Recipients need not be journalism majors. Preference will be given to students who are original thinkers and are passionate about writing.