Student Writing Contests
Barnard Award
The Barnard Award is given annually for an exceptional paper submitted in EN 109, EN 111, HON 101 or HON 111. It was established by the English Department in 1969 to honor the teaching and concern for writing shown by Ellsworth Barnard during his years of service at Northern Michigan University (1957-1968).
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The Houston Award is given annually for an exceptional paper written in EN 211 or HON 201. It was established by the English Department in 1984 to honor the teaching and concern for writing shown by Howard Houston during his years of service at Northern Michigan University (1968-1983).
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The Legler Memorial Poetry Prize is awarded annually for a poem submitted by an undergraduate student. It was established by the English Department in 1993 to honor the teaching and concern for poetry writing shown by Phil Legler during his years of service at Northern Michigan University (1968-1992).
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The Lois and Willard Cohodas Literary Prize
The goal of the Cohodas Literary Prize Competition is to provoke serious thought about one or more of the following topics: enhancing religions, racial and cultural understanding; eliminating hatred and racism; and/or promoting awareness of the Holocaust.
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VandeZande Fiction Prize
The English Department is pleased to announce the establishment of an annual undergraduate fiction award in honor of John M. VandeZande, an esteemed former professor at NMU who died in 2006. The first competition took place during the 2007-08 academic year.
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