Writing Prizes
The Department of English holds writing contests in multiple genres each year. Submissions for 2026 are now open with a new nonfiction prize category!
Guidelines:
- 15 double-spaced pages max. for fiction and nonfiction; 3 poems max. and no more than 6 pages for poetry
- Your name should NOT appear on any page of your manuscript
- Fill out a submission form by 11:59 PM on Friday, March 13th 2026
- Only one submission in each category per student
The Academy of American Poets Poetry Prize
The Academy of American Poets offers more than 200 prizes each year to college students who have excelled at writing poetry. Founded in 1955, the University and College Poetry Prize has awarded more than $350,000 to nearly 10,000 students since it began. The program is notable for having recognized many of America's premier poetic voices during their college years, including Diane Ackerman, Alice Fulton, Tess Gallagher, Allen Grossman, Kimiko Hahn, Robert Hass, Brad Leithauser, J.D. McClatchy, Heather McHugh, and Gregory Orr, among others.
Students may submit up to 3 poems and should be no longer than 6 pages. The Academy offers first-, second- and third-place awards to three Tufts undergraduate students each year. The first-place winner receives a prize of $100.
About the 2026 judge: Born and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Christian Schlegel's poems and criticism have appeared in Lana Turner, the Kenyon Review Online, and the Cleveland Review of Books. He has published three books: Honest James (The Song Cave, 2015) and Ryman (Ricochet, 2022) and most recently The Blackbird (Beautiful Days Press, 2025). Chris has worked as a teacher, is now studying to be a lawyer, and lives in New York City.
2024-2025 Winners
1st place: Ruby Goodman
Honorable mentions: Sam Nissen, Samari Vann, and William Zhuang2023-2024 Winners
1st place: Zacchai (Sage) Singer
Honorable mentions: Lili Newberry and Alyssa Garciano2022-2023 Winners
1st place: Andres F. Arevalo Zea
Honorable mentions: Ivy Lockhart and Jay Guo2021-2022 Winners
1st place: Adam Krasnoff
Honorable mentions: Layla Landrum and Ivy Lockhart2020-2021 Winners
1st place: Juanita Asapokhai
Honorable mentions: Mackenzie Tatananni and Madison Reid2019-2020 Winners
1st place: Leticia Rocha
Honorable mentions: Akbota Saudabayeva and Evan Schwartz2018-2019 Winners
1st place: Sarah Walsh
Honorable mentions: Nicole Delcore-Kaifetz and Samantha Crozier2017-2018 Winners
1st place: Allie Merola
Honorable mentions: Zoeey CW and Sarah Walsh2016-2017 Winners
1st place: Sarah Walsh
Honorable mentions: Marie Elena Ee Si Qian, Aishvarya Arora
The Morse Hamilton Fiction Prize
The Morse Hamilton Fiction Prize, sponsored by the Department of English, recognizes one full-time Tufts undergraduate each year who has excelled at fiction writing. The prize is named after the late Professor Morse Hamilton, who was a memorable and beloved figure in the English department for many years.
Students may submit fictional works of up to 15 double-spaced pages. The winner, selected by a fiction writer outside the department, will be awarded a prize of $100. In addition, submissions may be selected for honorable mention.
About the 2026 judge: Allison King is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. among others. She is also a 2023 Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel.
2024-2025 Winners
1st place: Cole Reese
Honorable mentions: Lea Epstein and Layla Shaffer2023-2024 Winners
1st place: Erin Zhu
Honorable mentions: Eloise Vaughan Williams and Cate Tam2022-2023 Winners
1st place: Erin Zhu
Honorable mentions: Aisha Pasha and Jamie Pike2021-2022 Winners
1st place: Maeve Hagerty
Honorable mentions: Maya Ng-Yu and Adam Krasnoff2020-2021 Winners
1st place: Juanita Asapokhai
Honorable mentions: Isabella Jarosz and Joseph Harmon2019-2020 Winners
1st place: Anne Savage
Honorable mentions: Joseph Harmon and Isabelle Chirls
2018-2019 Winners
1st place: Paige Spangenthal
Honorable mentions: Joseph Harmon and Sarah Walsh2017-2018 Winners
1st place: Kayleigh Ford
Honorable mentions: Nicole Cohen and Allie Morgenstern2016-2017 Winners
1st place: Jameson Moore
Honorable mentions: Jei-Jei Tan, Ellie Doyle
English Department Nonfiction Writing Prize
The English Department Nonfiction Writing Prize of 2025-2026 is a new opportunity and will celebrate talented nonfiction student writers at Tufts. Students may submit nonfiction works of up to 15 double-spaced pages. Eligible genres include personal essay, memoir, travel writing, environmental writing, cultural criticism, narrative journalism, lyric essay, and other works of literary nonfiction.
The winner, selected by a nonfiction writer outside the department, will be awarded a prize of $100. In addition, submissions may be selected for honorable mention.
About the 2026 judge: TBA