Skip to main content

Awards, Prizes, and Activities

The Department of English has several prizes, awards and scholarships to compete for. Our students also regularly win university-wide scholarships.

Deadline for Submissions: Thursday, February 29, 2024, 4:00 P.M.
Email Submissions to: literatureawards@concordia.ca

A.G. Hooper Prize

Award of $300 for the best essay submitted by a currently registered undergraduate student on a topic in literature written in English before 1700. For submission of the essay, see NOTE below.

MacGuigan Prize

Award of $300 for the best essay submitted by a currently registered undergraduate student on a topic in literature written in English from the 18th century to the present. For submission of the essay, see NOTE below.

Compton-Lamb Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship (value of $500) is designated for a currently registered and full-time undergraduate student who will be entering the final 24 to 30 credits in either the Honours English Literature or the Honours English and Creative Writing program in the 2024-25 academic year. Students graduating in June or November of 2024 are ineligible. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic excellence and an essay submitted on any aspect of English literary studies. Submissions must also include an updated student record.

Eligibility and Submission Requirements  

Only currently registered students in an undergraduate degree program at Concordia are eligible. Exchange Students, Visiting Students, Independent Students, and Senior Audit Students are not eligible.

NOTE: Any student currently registered in an undergraduate degree program at Concordia may compete. You may enter any or all of the above competitions, but a separate application must be made for each. You may enter an essay written for a course or one written specifically for these competitions. 

Each submission must indicate the award for which it is intended.

Each entry must be submitted as two pdf files:

  • One pdf file should be your cover page with the Award Name, Name, Student I. D. Number , Email Address and Title.
  • The second pdf file should be the submission itself without any identifying information other than the Title and Page Number 

For example, the Cover page must include:

  • Name of Award
  • Student Name
  • Student ID
  • Email address
  • Title

The submission itself (Compton-Lamb, or Hooper, or MacGuigan,) must only have the following information at the top of the page:

  • Title
  • Page Number

Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted.

All submissions are final. Once submitted, students are not able to change or add to these submissions.

For additional information, contact darragh.languay@concordia.ca

All shortlisted candidates will be informed via email by March 29th and will have their names posted on the Department of English website. All winners will be notified at the Awards Ceremony to be held on Friday, April 19, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in MB-9th floor. The names of the winners will be posted on the Department of English website by April 30th.  

Get information on all awards

 

2023-2024 TBA

2022-23 Gabriel Safdie Awards in Creative Writing

Deadline for Submissions: Thursday, April 27, 2023, 4:00 P.M.

Via Email: gabrielsafdie@concordia.ca

Late Submissions Will Not Be Considered

The Gabriel Safdie Awards in Creative Writing, established in 2016 through the generosity of Gabriel Safdie, a graduate of our department (BA, English ’64), are intended to encourage and support deserving, full-time and part-time undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Arts program who are currently enrolled in the B.A. Major Creative Writing, or the B.A. Honours English and Creative Writing program in the Faculty of Arts and Science.

An award of $2000 will be applied to each of the following categories: Fiction, Poetry and Drama.

APPLICATION RULES – Please Read Carefully:

  1. The awards are open to all currently registered, full-time and part-time undergraduate students who are enrolled in the B.A. Major Creative Writing, or the B.A. Honours English and Creative Writing, program. (Please note: Those enrolled in a Minor in Creative Writing may not apply).
  2. The Awards are contingent on the winning applicants finishing their current academic year as a full-time or part-time student, and with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  3. The Awards will be given out in October on condition that the winners remain as full-time or part-time students and with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, currently enrolled in the B.A. Major Creative Writing Major or the B.A. Honours English and Creative Writing program.
  4. The Awards are open to Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents and International Students.

PROCEDURES:

Applicants are asked to submit ONE of the following.

  • Fiction: One (1) short story of a maximum of fifteen (15) pages.
  • Poetry: One (1) poem or a series of poems for a maximum of fifteen (15) pages.
  • Drama: One (1) act drama of a maximum of twenty (20) pages.

All work must be original and unpublished. Students may submit in multiple categories but will receive only one Award.

Work that has won a previous contest will be disqualified.

In the event that work in a given category is not deemed sufficient, that $2000 will be dispersed between the remaining categories.

Submissions will be accepted beginning March 31, 2023. The deadline for submission is April 27, 2023, 4:00p.m.

Late submissions will not be considered.

Please submit ONE PDF copy of your submission via email by April 27, 2023, 4:00 p.m.

In the subject line of your email, include only the genre, your name, and the title of the submission. (Example: Poetry, Jane Doe, Spring Melt and other poems) 

In the body of the email, include the genre and title of your submission, your I.D. number, phone number, and email address, with one detail per line. Example:    

Fiction
After the Last Exam
Student I.D.: 12345678 
Phone number 123-456-7891
Jane.doe@concordia.ca


To ensure blind judging, DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME in the submission itself.

Title your submission as follows: Genre_Title.pdf (e.g. Poetry_Spring_Melt_and_other_poems.pdf) Your submission should be paginated.

Please Note: The awards are not renewable. Previous winners are not eligible to apply in any genre in any subsequent year.

If you have further queries, please contact Stephanie Bolster, the Coordinator of Creative Writing: stephanie.bolster@concordia.ca

Deadline for Submissions: Friday, March 15, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
Email submissions to: kelsey.blair@concordia.ca

Award of $300 for outstanding achievement in Professional Writing. The prize is awarded based on academic excellence and a portfolio that shows proficiency, expertise, and competence in professional writing.

Eligibility

Applicants must be currently enrolled undergraduate students in the Professional Writing Minor, and have successfully completed at least 12 credits within the program. There is no minimum grade requirement, although academic achievement may be considered in the jury’s evaluation.

Selection process

Award decisions will be made by a committee comprised of two jurors and a jury chair, all of whom have teaching experience in Professional Writing.

The jury chair will first ensure that submissions are ready for blind evaluation. Portfolios will then be distributed to jurors for evaluation. 

All shortlisted candidates will be informed via email by March 29th and will have their names posted on the Department of English website. All winners will be notified at the Awards Ceremony to be held on Friday, April 19, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in MB-9th floor. The names of the winners will be posted on the Department of English website by April 30th.

Submission requirements

Each application must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file, or as a link to a web-based portfolio. Include a cover letter with your name, student ID, telephone number, and email address. Submissions must also include an updated student record. If your submission is web-based, submit the cover letter and transcript separately, by email.

As much as possible, be sure to remove identifying information, such as your name and ID, from all but the cover letter.

Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

Submission Details

The portfolio should be a single PDF file OR a link to a web-based portfolio, and include:

  • Cover letter (one page) o Include name, ID, and contact details
    • Include a brief “about the author"
    • Table of contents with functioning links to section titles
  • Titled sections with brief introductions for portfolio content
  • Coursework from ENGL 216, and from ENGL 395 or 397; you may also include work from any other courses in Professional Writing.
  • Current student record

The entire submission should be no longer than 20 pages, including images.

Evaluation

Submissions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Professionalism

  • Presentation of content
  • Grammar and spelling error-free
  • Consistent application of APA, MLA, or CMOS formatting

Quality

  • Sound rhetorical strategy
  • Clear and persuasive English
  • Adherence to conventions for the specific style, platform, or genre
  • Creativity

For additional information, contact Kelsey Blair, Interim Coordinator, Composition & Professional Writing.

 

Deadline for Submissions:Thursday, February 29, 2024, 4:00 P.M. 
Email submissions to: creativewritingawards@concordia.ca

Eligibility

This contest is open to all Concordia students currently registered in any undergraduate degree program at Concordia. Exchange Students, Visiting Students, Independent Students, and Senior Audit Students are not eligible.

The Department of English offers two awards in the amount of $500 each for excellence in the writing of fiction and poetry and one award of $300 for excellence in the writing of drama. Any student currently registered in any undergraduate degree program at Concordia is eligible to compete. Submissions must be original and unpublished. The Poetry Award is awarded to the best single poem chosen from the overall submissions; each submission may consist of one poem or several poems to a maximum of 5 pages. The Fiction Award is awarded to the best single story chosen from the overall submissions; each submission must consist of a single story of no more than 5,000 words. The Drama Award is awarded to the best single play chosen from the overall submissions; each submission must consist of a one-act play to a maximum of 15 pages. In all cases, submissions may be from work written for courses or written specifically for the competition.

Students may enter all three categories, but students may enter only one submission in each category.

Entries

Each emailed entry should name the award in the subject line (e.g. Poetry Award Entry) and include no text in the body of the message. There should be two attachments:

1. A Word document consisting of the following information, in this format:

Student Name: Jack Doe
Student I.D.: 12345678
Phone number: 514-123-4567
E-mail address: jack.doe@concordia.ca
Category of Award: Poetry
Title: Spring Poem (if sending multiple poems, list the titles of all poems unless you wish them to be judged as one long poem with a single overarching title)

2. A single PDF file containing the poetry, fiction, or drama submission. Because the contest is judged blind, only the following information should appear at the top of the first page:

Category of the Award: (Drama, Fiction, or Poetry)
Title: Spring Poem
Number of pages: 3

All submissions are final. Changes cannot be made after the entry has been emailed. Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted.

Judging

Judges are published writers of the genre they are judging. When possible, we invite writers who do not teach in the program. The decision of the judges is final. If, in the opinion of the judges, the quality of submissions in any category in any one year is unworthy, they may decide not to give an award. We regret that, due to the number of submissions, the judges are unable to provide comments.  

All shortlisted candidates will be informed by the creative writing coordinator via email by March 29th and will have their names posted on the Department of English website. 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to read from their work at an event to take place on Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 at 4.30 PM. 

All winners will be notified at the Awards Ceremony to be held on Friday, April 19, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in MB-9th floor.  The names of the winners will be posted on the Department of English website by April 30th. 

NOTE: Winning submissions of Creative Writing Awards in Drama, Fiction, and Poetry will be published in the Concordia University Magazine unless the writer chooses not to authorize publication of their work in this context.

Questions? Contact the Creative Writing Coordinator.

Get information on all awards

Compton-Lamb Memorial Scholarship
2022 - 23 :   Anaïs Ranger 

2021 - 22 :   Elizaveta Makarova

2020 - 21 :   Jimmy Latin 

2019 - 20 :   Bridget Mountford 

2018 - 19 :   Ghislaine Comeau 

2017 - 18 :   Adėle Dumont-Bergeron 

2016 - 17 :  Yanina Chukhovich 

2015 - 16 :  Michael D'Itri 

2014 - 15 :  Alana Friend Lettner 

2013 - 14 :  Rudrapriya Rathore

A.G. Hooper Prize
2022 - 23 :   Jade Palmer   

2021 - 22 :   Adriano Cavaliere

2020 - 21 :   Ella Kohlmann 

2019 - 20 :   Keoni O’Reilly

2018 - 19 :   Elizabeth Corning 

2017 - 18 :   Sarah Gaspard 

2016 - 17 :   Michael D'Itri 

2015 - 16 :  Thoby King 

2014 - 15 :   Emily Gaudet

MacGuigan Prize
2022 - 23 :  Emily Wilkinson 

2021 - 22 :  Faith Paré

2020 - 21 :  Olivia Cailliarec  

2019 - 20 :  Faith Paré 

2018 - 19 :  Charles Gonsalves 

2017 - 18 :  Sarah Gaspard 

2016 - 17 :  Alanna Stewart 

2015 - 16 :  Gage Diabo  

2014 - 15 :  Soili Smith

Ritva Seppanen Prize in Professional Writing
2022 - 23 :  Andrew Wilcox   

2021 - 22 :  Karina Bocchicchio

2020 - 21 :  Sumbul Qureshi 

2019 - 20 :  Dominique Martin 

2018 - 19 :  Kathryn Kanellopoulos 

2017 - 18 :  Nora St. Aubin 

2016 - 17 : Natasha Truttmann

Creative Writing Award in Fiction
2022 - 23 :  Marion Munday 

2021 - 22 :  Sarah Lotfi

2020 - 21 :  Robert K.More

Creative Writing Award in Poetry
2022 - 23 :  Poonam Dhir 

2021 - 22 :  Poonam Dhir

2020 - 21 :  Danielle Renaud

English Department Drama Award
2022 - 23 :  Poonam Dhir  

2021 - 22 :  Zoe Marner

2020 - 21 :  Poonam Dhir 

2019 - 20 :  Erik Leisinger 

2018 - 19 :  Abigail Candelora 

2017 - 18 :  Justin Hebert 

2016 - 17 : André Simoneau 

Gabriel Safdie Awards in Creative Writing
2022 - 23 : 

  • Caroline Wagschal (Fiction)
  • Bridget Huh (Poetry)  
  • There is no Drama winner this year

2020 - 21 :

  • Zoe Marner (Drama)
  • Sarah Lotfi-Frooshani (Fiction)
  • Alia Bhimji (Poetry)

2019 - 20 :

  • Claire Keenan (Drama)
  • Ariadna Mazur-Mathieu (Fiction)
  • Silvana Morales-Boiardi (Poetry)

2018 - 19 : 

  • Takeshi Fukushima (Drama)
  • Bridget Mountford (Fiction)
  • Benjamin Bush Anderson (Poetry)
2017 - 18 :
  • Imola Zsitva (Drama)
  • Isabelle Stephen (Fction)
  • Bronwyn Haney (Poetry)
2016 - 17 :  
  • Olive Andrews
  • Thomas Molander

Irving Layton Award  -  Fiction
2019 – 20: Jude Thornberry
2018 - 19 :   Bridget Mountford
2017 - 18 :  Aurora Robinson
2016 - 17 :  Fawn Parker
2015 - 16 :  Sarah MacKenzie
2014 - 15 :  Rudrapriya Rathore   

Irving Layton Award  -  Poetry
2019 - 20:  Faith Paré
2018 - 19 :  Alia Bhimji
2017 - 18 :  Michael Lottner
2016 - 17 :  Emily Fleming & Mick Hennessy
2015 - 16 :  James (Jake) Byrne
2014 - 15 :  Jacqueline Hanna

The university offers a number of scholarships and grants for which every applicant is considered when completing the application for admission. For them, check the Funding section on the School of Graduate Studies website.  Please consult this database regularly. For each award you are provided with the eligibility information, application procedures, deadlines and so on. While the graduate program director, in coordination with the Graduate Awards Office, will do his or her best to provide students with information about funding opportunities, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to seek out information about fellowships and awards.

In recent years, however, the department has been able to offer one or two more sizeable financial packages per year for outstanding students applying to enter the MA in English full-time in the Fall. Each package consisted of one Faculty of Arts and Science Graduate Fellowship (valued at $7,000) To be considered automatically for such a package, a prospective outstanding applicant should have his/her complete application into the system by January 15 of each year.

University policies on graduate funding evolve each year, but in general students who bring external funding (usually from SSHRC or FQRSC) to the program, qualify automatically for a top-up of their grant (in 2012-13, that amount was set at $6,000). The applicant who receives external funding should promptly inform the Graduate Program Director about that achievement. We strongly encourage prospective applicants to our MA program to apply for external funding (SSHRC or FQRSC) in the Fall prior to considering admission to Concordia.

Teaching Assistantships

A limited number of departmental teaching assistantships are available to qualified applicants undertaking fulltime graduate studies. These are awarded by the Graduate Committee on the basis of the applicant’s academic/creative record, letters of recommendation and experience, including publications and artistic or scholarly awards. The greatest weight is given to the academic or creative record.

Departmental Awards & Scholarships

The English Department is endowed with the following prizes which are awarded to exceptional graduate students on an annual basis:

The Wynne Francis Award for Graduate Study in Canadian Poetry:

To honour the late Professor Wynne Francis and her significant role in the pioneering of Canadian literary studies, the Department of English established an annual award in her name. The award is granted annually to a graduate student for the best essay on Canadian poetry. The objective of the award is to stimulate interest in the area of studies to which Wynne Francis devoted her teaching and research at Sir George Williams and Concordia Universities. The Rules: A financial award will be granted annually for the outstanding essay on Canadian poetry by a graduate student. To be eligible, the student must be registered in the English Graduate Program at Concordia University. Three copies of the must be submitted to the Graduate Assistant by the deadline. The jury will consist of members of the English Department.

The Amy Menon Marleau Graduate Scholarship

Created in 2008 in loving memory of Amy Menon Marleau.  Open to all full-time graduate students in the Department of English. The scholarship is to be granted through competition on the basis of academic excellence and statement of purpose. If the award committee finds that there are two or more applicants of equal merit, preference will be given to students interested in transnational literature or in questions of cultural encounter and exchange.

Lynne Kassie and Issie Weissglas Graduate Scholarship in English (Creative Writing)  

This award is granted through competition on the basis of academic excellence, and financial need as expressed in the student’s statement describing his/her financial situation and explaining how the scholarship will assist him/her. The scholarship is to be awarded to a full-time student registered in the M.A. English Creative Writing program. The value of the award is dependent on the market value of the endowment. 

Ruth and David Steinberg PhD Scholarship in English Literature
($10,000)

Created in 2013 through the generosity of Ruth and David Steinberg, the Ruth and David Steinberg PhD Scholarship in English Literature is granted through competition, based on academic merit, to newly admitted full-time students to the PhD program in English Literature at the University. Applicants may be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or international students. The PhD Scholarship is not renewable.

Ruth and David Steinberg MA Scholarship in Creative Writing ($5000)

Created in 2013 through the generosity of Ruth and David Steinberg, the Ruth and David Steinberg MA Scholarship for Creative Writing is granted through competition, based on academic merit, to newly admitted full-time students to the Creative Writing program at the University. Applicants may be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or international students. The MA Scholarship for Creative Writing is not renewable.

Professor Mervin Butovsky Memorial Scholarship

The Scholarship is intended to encourage academic excellence in the fields of English Literature and Jewish Studies.

The Graduate Scholarship shall be awarded to a full-time student pursuing an M.A. in English with preference given to students whose research is in the field of Jewish Studies.

David McKeen Awards

There are two David McKeen Awards, one for a creative writing thesis and one award for an academic thesis. Faculty members can nominate a thesis they have read or supervised in the twelve months ending September 1 each year.

2021-2022 Undergraduate winners and shortlisted candidates

The winners will be chosen from these Shortlists and the winners will be notified on April 15, via email, by Dr. Stephen Yeager, Department Chair.

The Juries for the Literature Awards have completed their deliberations and have agreed on the following Shortlisted Candidates:

A. G. HOOPER PRIZE

  • Adriano Cavaliere (winner)
  • Noemi Marcaida-Golebiowski
  • Faith Paré

COMPTON-LAMB MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

  • Benjamin Bush Anderson
  • Caroline Denhez
  • Elizaveta Makarova (winner)

MACGUIGAN PRIZE

  • Adriano Cavaliere
  • Sarah DesRosiers-Legault
  • Faith Paré (winner)

The Juries for the English Department Drama Award and the Creative Writing Awards in Fiction and Poetry, have completed their deliberations and have agreed on the following Shortlisted Candidates:

English Department Drama Award

  • Natasha Cellich 
  • Zoe Marner (winner)
  • Nadia Trudel 

Creative Writing Award in Fiction

  • Poonam Dhir
  • Sarah Lotfi (winner)
  • Rachael Riley

Creative Writing Award in Poetry

  • Poonam Dhir (winner)
  • Lucy Farcnik
  • Faith Paré

The jurors for the Ritva Seppanen Award for Professional Writing have completed their deliberations and have agreed on the following Shortlisted candidates:

RITVA SEPPANEN AWARD FOR PROFESSIONAL WRITING

  • Karina Bocchicchio (winner)
  • Andrea Dawn Hilton

The 2021-22 winners:

  • Katie Cooke (Drama)
  • Bridget Griffith (Fiction)
  • Callum Runciman (Poetry)

Financial aid and awards

Through the Student hub, you can search for bursaries, awards and scholarships available to all students at Concordia.

Back to top

© Concordia University