Previous Award Winners by Year
- 2023-24 Creative Writing Awards
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The Jean Meyer Aloe Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Cindy Juyoung Ok
- Winner: Lila Bonow, "Love Poem"
The Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged by Nawaaz Ahmed
- 1st Prize: Abdelrahman Elgendy, “Al-Qahira”
- 2nd Prize: Sofia Garner, “Soil”
- 3rd Prize: Hans Park, “Ready”
The Graduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Erin Khar
- Winner: Kira Witkin, “Contact”
The American Academy of Poets Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Bernardo Wade
- Winner: Trish Le, "All I want for Christmas is my pink T-Mobile flip phone back”
Dr. Myron Taube Fiction Writing Award
Judged by Callum Angus
- 1st Prize: Isabella Paracca, "Passing Through"
- 2nd Prize: Avery Bauer, "My Rose"
- 3rd Prize Tie: Zacharie Ball, "Mavise" and Mia Naccarato, "MARIS Robit and iPhone Anatomy"
Monty Culver Award in Fiction – Short Story
Judged by Chris Gonzalez
- Winner: D.R. (Dani) Wormack, "May Flowers Grow"
Melissa Difatta Nonfiction Award
Judged by Jamila Osman
- 1st Prize: Jillian (Jilly) Rowan, “Whine, Whisky, and Wounds”
- 2nd Prize: Aastha Ladani, “July 4th”
- 3rd Prize: Lucy Niemira, “The Arboretum”
- 2019-20 Creative Writing Awards
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The Nordan-Kinder Award in Fiction
Judged by Clare Beams
- 1st Prize: S. Brook Corfman
- 2nd Prize: Kelly Chastain
- 3rd Prize: Aeriel Merillat
The Melissa Difatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Steffan Triplett- 1st Prize: Leah Mensch
- 2nd Prize: Megan Williams
- 3rd Prize: Monica Hurtado
The Taube Undergraduate Fiction Award
Judged by Tyler McAndrew- 1st Prize: Geoffrey Schiller
- 2nd Prize: Samantha Kirschman
- 3rd Prize: Mad McConnell
The American Academy of Poets Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Malcolm Friend- Winner: Joseph Jang, "My Father Calls From His Chair"
The American Academy of Poets Jean Meyer Aloe Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Lucia LoTempio- Winner: Joshua Corson, "Half-life"
- 2018-19 Creative Writing Awards
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Graduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Shannon Reed- "One Last Note for Paul Nervy" by Kent Kosack
The Nordan-Kinder Award in Fiction
Judged by Anjali Sachdeva- "Just Kids" Adam Brewer
The Jean Meyer Aloe Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Kelly Andrews- "Self-Portrait in Tongues" by Joshua Palmer
The Melissa Difatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Rachel Mabe- "(Mal)Adaptation" by Philippa Zang
The American Academy of Poets Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Malcolm Friend- "Kusköy in Virginia" by Leyla Çolpan
The Myron Taube Award in Fiction
Judged by Morgan Treadway Kayser- First place: "Mirage" by Drue Denmon
- Second place: "Sounder" by M. Jane McAndrew
- Third place: "Variations on Red" by Leyla Çoplan
- 2017-18 Creative Writing Awards
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The Taube Award in Fiction
Judged by Morgan Kayser- First Place : Casey Reiland for “The Guests”
- Second Place: Tinh Le for “Two Scenes in '80s Cedar Rapids”
- Third Place: Brian Murray for “Clovis Commute”
The Academy of American Poets Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Malcolm Friend- First Place: Jennifer Nguyen for “Lunar New Year”
The Melissa Difatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Rachel Wilkinson- First Place: Zoe Kovacs for “Bird Songs”
- Honorable Mention: Tinh Le for “A Week at the Beach”
- Honorable Mention: Brandon Marx for “Alzium"
The Nordan-Kinder Graduate Award in Fiction
Judged By Craig Bernier- First Place: Eowyn Randall for “Block of Lard”
- Second Place: Kent Kosack for “Chaos is Being Yourself”
- Third Place: Tanya Sharizi for “Tolula”
The Graduate Creative Nonfiction Award
Judged by Brian Broome- Winner: Hannah Eko for “A Truthful Answer”
- Honorable Mention: Avery Keatley for “Cold Comfort”
- Honorable Mention: Abigail Lind for “Getting at It: An Exercise”
The Academy of American Poets Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Jonathan Moody- Winner: Tanya Shirazi for “Lamentar and Temporary Protective Status”
- 2016-17 Creative Writing Awards
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Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Rachel Nelson- First Place: Mia DiFelice for "Coming Quietly"
- Second Place: Alexis Kennell for "The Waltz of the Bees"
- Third Place: Maya Best for "To Toes"
- Honorable mention: Matthew Walker for "Rap (v.) (n.)"
Monty Culver Award in Fiction
Judged by Tom McWhorter and Cumi Ikeda- First Place: Gabrielle Pogel for “Breaking and Entering”
- Honorable Mention: Britney Meiser for “In the Trees”
- Honorable Mention: David Wade for “East Maiden”
Taube Award for Fiction
Judged by Myron Taube, Craig Bernier, and Mark Kemp- First: Kelchis Radziewicz for "The Dark One—Crystalline Sincerity—Mouths of Shadows"
- Second: David Wade for East Maiden
- Third: Shannon Pender for "The Dust We Wore"
Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged By Jeffrey Condran- First Place: Rachel Ann Brickner for "American Made"
- Second Place: Adam Brewer for "Glossolalia"
- Third Place: Hannah Eko for "Every Young Woman's War"
Graduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Doug Swanson- Lucia LoTempio for "The How of Love"
Academy of American Poets Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Brandon Som- First Place: Ariana Brown, for “Ahuacatl”
- Second Place: Stefan Triplett for “Baptism”
- Third Place: Stephanie Cawley for “Bridle”
Melissa Difatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Jennifer Matesa- First: Ellen Kruczek for "The Naked Human”
- Honorable Mention: Sophie McHugh for "Nervosa"
- Honorable Mention: Margaret Wilson Millure for "Wife"
- 2014-15 Creative Writing Awards
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Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Danez Smith- First Place: Ravi Teja Yelamanchili
- Second Place: Madeline Weiss
- Third Place: David Turner
Montgomery Culver Prize for Fiction
Judged by Katherine Karlin- First Place: Mary Sico
- Special Mentions: Kayla Bloodgood and Ojel N. Nduanya
Graduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Jennifer Clement- First Place: Molly Bain
- Second Place: Sara Button
- Third Place: Emily Maloney
Academy of American Poets/ Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Jessica Helen Lopez- First Place: Emily Hopkins
- Second Place: Stephanie Cawley
- Third Place: Caleb Washburn
Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged by Craig Bernier- First Place: Morgan Kayser
- Second Place: Nina Sabak
- Third Place: Scott Romani
Taube Award for Fiction
Judged by Myron Taube, Geeta Kothari and Amy Murray-Twyning- First Place: John William Simons V
- 2nd Place Keerstan McGinley
Melissa DiFatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Marissa Landrigan- First Place: Sarah Lane
- Second Place: Elizabeth Rakow and Stephanie Roman
- 2013-14 Creative Writing Awards
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Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Leslie Anne Mcilroy- First Place: Colleen Paddock for “untitled”
- Second Place: Peter Bouwens Webb for “come here, beautiful people”
- Third Place: Kaeli Hood for “no, try again”
Montgomery Culver Prize for Fiction
Judged by Mason Radkoff- First Place: Elizabeth McLaughlin for “Prints”
Taube Award for Fiction
Judged by Myron Taube, Geeta Kothari, and Amy Murray-Twyning- Co-First Place: Brett Sholtis for “The Charlatan’s Tale”
- Co-First Place Elizabeth McLaughlin for “Tracks”
Melissa Difatta Undergraduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Lori Jakiela- First Place: Ethan McElhinny for “The Need to be Needed”
- Second Place: Hannah Webb for “Safety in Numbers”
- Third Place: John Dodderidge for “The New Americans”
Academy of American Poets/ Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Judith Vollmer- First Place: Cameron Bryce Barrett for “Crepe Sole Shoe”
- Second Place: Laura Brun for “Schism”
- Third Place: Caleb Washburn for "Eating an Ortolan Bunting”
Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged by Allison Amend- First Place: Amanda Boyle for "Lulu”
- Second Place: Scott Romani for “The Willing Patient”
- Third Place: Jennifer Bannan for “Welcome to Kindness”
Graduate Nonfiction Award
Judged by Jeff Sharlet- First Place: Tyler McAndrew for “Scar Tissue”
- Second Place: Tim Maddocks for “Filtered Language”
- Third Place: Jennifer Bannan for “Footless Horseman and I, Voting”
- 2012-13 Creative Writing Awards
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Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged by Sherrie Flick- First Place: Jennifer A. Howard for “Everything You Love”
- Second Place: Shannon Reed for “The First Full Day”
- Third Place: Jennifer Bannan for “This Crisis Brought To You By Me”
- Honorable Mention: Scott Romani for “Chapter One (untitled)”
Montgomery Culver Prize for Fiction
Judged by Jeff Condran- First Place: Elizabeth Howey for “And Coming Up Next, Murder!”
Taube Award for Fiction
Judged by Myron Taube, Geeta Kothari, and Amy Murray-Twyning- First Place: Nina Andreyevna Sabak for “Rapunzel Syndrome”, “Something Small and Made of Fire”, “The Interpretation of Dreams”
- First Place: Brett Allen Sholtis for “Dragon Island”, “Spencer's Paradox”, “This Distant Place”
- First Place: Nicholas Kasunic for “Music, Uncle Charles and Fish”, “What You Remember”, “Black Man”
Academy of American Poets/Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Eileen Myles- First Place: Kazumi Chin for “[At some point, the light]”, “[Let's say you are here]”
- Second Place: Lauren Russell for “The Art of Speaking”, “Hair”
- Third Place: John Calvasina for “Lavender Town”, “Summer Sonnet”
Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Liz Ahl- First Place: Melissa Dias-Mandoly for “Miscegenation”
- Second Place: Claire Matway for “Winter Down”, “Carrie, November”
- Third Place: Kent Berthoud for “On Rewatching Fanny and Alexander”
Melissa Difatta Award for Nonfiction
Judged by Elizabeth Hoover- First Place: Jessica Cheng for “How to Be the Daughter of a Chinese Immigrant”
- Second Place: Christopher Sweitzer for “Fairytales Never Warn You about Wicked Stepfathers”
- Third Place: Vivianne Oyefusi for “New Roots”
Graduate Award for Nonfiction
Judged by Anjali Sachdeva- First Place: Laura Elizabeth Clark for “Airborne”
- First Place: Katie Booth for “Teaching Theresa To Talk”
- Second Place: Emily Maloney for “Dish”
- 2011-12 Creative Writing Awards
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Turow-Kinder Award for Fiction
Judged by Ron Carlson- First Place: Jonathan Gotsick for “Wing Woman”
- Second Place: Tyler McAndrew for “Happy Birthday”
- Third Place: J.A. Howard for “Our Father the Magician, Our Father the Tornado”
- Honorable Mention: Stephanie Wilson for “Compartments”
Montgomery Culver Prize for Fiction
Judged by Josh Barkan- Winner: Nina Sabak for “A Drowning Girl’s Guide to Water”
Taube Award for Fiction
Judged by Myron Taube, Allison Amend, & Ryan McDermott- First Place: Lori Stover for “Dust,” “Mother,” and “Take Care”
- Second Place: Nicholas Dyll for “Blood, Smoke, and Silicon”
- Third Place: Ryan Beaupit for “D Sharp,” “Marcus Elridge,” and “The First Snow Winter”
Academy of American Poets/Graduate Poetry Award
Judged by Wayne Koestenbaum- First Place: Amanda Brant for “Instead of This” and “Breaking Open”
- Second Place: Lauren Russell for “The Chess Players” and “Dream-Clung, Gone”
- Third Place: Avery Thomas for “Stay at Home” and “Wildlife in the Living Room”
Undergraduate Poetry Award
Judged by Joy Katz- First Place: Melissa Dias-Mandoly for “Etc.,” “Between” and “Gender Gentrification”
- Second Place: Savonna Johnson for “Before Falling out the Window”
- Third Place: Caily Grube for “Song of the Thing Fucked”
- Honorable Mentions: Jarrett Eakins for “Afternoon Song”; Sarah Geisler for “What is History” and "Can you Change This?”; Peter Webb for “Instructions for Seven Suspects of a Murder Mystery Dinner, Where I Am the Murdered Man”
Melissa Difatta Award for Nonfiction
Judged by Reid Frazier- First Place: Emily O’Donnell for “The Dying of Brightness”
- Second Place: Rachel Grozanick for “On Leave”
- Third Place: Mandy Velez for “A Vicious Cycle”
Graduate Award for Nonfiction
Judged by Michael Meyer- First Place: Nicole Carroll for “Transitional”
- Second Place: Maria Sholtis for “Red Shack”