Writing Prizes
The Department of English holds two writing contests each year. Calls for entry are posted mid-February, with submissions due in late March. Prize winners are announced in April and participate in a student reading.
Guidelines:
- Submit a copy of your manuscript, typed and double-spaced. Poetry can be single-spaced.
- Your name should NOT appear on any page of your story or poetry.
- Fill out a submission form.
- Each student is allowed only one submission in each category.
Submissions must be emailed to english@tufts.edu by 4:00 PM on the due date.
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.
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.
2023-2024 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 any length. 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.
2023-2024 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