Awards and Prizes

Creative Writing Awards

Students who wish to submit their creative writing for consideration may send their entries to undergradadvising.english [at] mcgill.ca from their McGill email address, and must include their student number, degree program, and year in the email. All award recipients must meet the necessary enrollment criteria set by McGill’s Faculty of Arts. All competitions are restricted to students who have not previously won the First Prize.

Submit one pdf file per prize (combine several items in one file if you are submitting more than one work for a prize). Name the files for the prizes and include your McGill ID number in the following manner: monaXXXXXX.pdf, chesterXXXXXX.pdf, clarkXXXXXX.pdf, petersonXXXXXX.pdf, shapiroXXXXXX.pdf. Your name or ID must NOT appear anywhere on the submitted files.

The submitted files must be double-spaced and in a regular 12-pitch font (italics or bold are of course acceptable as part of an occasional desired effect). Each entrant should observe a normal maximum of 20 pages. Writers of lengthy prose fiction and writers of drama may submit a single work of fiction or drama up to 40 double-spaced pages but should not include any other works in their submission.

Deadline for submissions: Monday, April 17, 2023

Chester MacNaghten Prizes

Two prizes, offered annually in a competition for the best piece of creative writing in English submitted by an undergraduate student of the University, i.e., a story, a play, a poem, an essay, etc. Material should be carefully selected and properly presented. The judges will not read untidy manuscripts or a large number of newspaper clippings. No candidate may submit more than two entries. Winning entries will be retained and filed in the McLennan Library. The competition is restricted to students who have not previously won the First Prize. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee on the recommendation of the Department of English. Further information may be obtained from the English Department.

Clark Lewis Memorial Prize

Established in 1984 by family and friends in memory of Clark Lewis, a Canadian magazine writer and copywriter. Awarded annually or from time to time for the best submission in creative writing of a dramatic piece. The contest is open to Major and Honours students in the Department of English and will be adjudicated by a committee appointed by the Chair. The award may occasionally be given for creative work in drama other than written work. Awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Lionel Shapiro Awards for Creative Writing

Three prizes to be distributed, if possible, among the genres of poetry, fiction, screenwriting, and playwriting. Each prize to be awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English to one or more students in the final year of the B.A. course who have demonstrated outstanding talent.

Mona Elaine Adilman Poetry Prize

Established in 1992 by a bequest from Mona Elaine Adilman Solomon, B.A. 1945. Awarded annually to one or two graduate or undergraduate students (graduating or continuing) who have demonstrated outstanding talent in the area of poetry. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Peterson Memorial Prize in English Literature

Founded by the late Lt. Col. W.G. Peterson, in memory of his father, Sir William Peterson, K.C.M.G., Principal of McGill, 1895-1918. Awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student with distinction in English Literature who has also shown creative literary ability.

Essay Writing Awards

Outstanding student essays are considered based on recommendations made by professors in the Department of English. A committee made up of department faculty will determine the recipients of each award.

Algy Smillie Noad Memorial Prize

Established in 1984 by a bequest from Mrs. Anne Noad in memory of her husband who was a Professor in the Department of English. Awarded to a graduating student in Honours English whose Honours thesis is judged to be a superior achievement in literary analysis and scholarship. Awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Allen A. Lang Essay Award

Established in 2015 by brothers Mr. Morris Rotstein, BA 1954, and Dr. Abraham Rotstein, BA 1949, in honour of their cousin Mr. Allen A. Lang, BSc 1953, who was formerly known as Abraham Levitt. Allen A. Lang was born on April 2, 1933 and passed away on August 10, 2007. He was an accomplished author and his work includes Black and White, a Novel of the Civil Rights Struggle, and Three Stories, Race, Nationality and Religion in Modern America, both published by Xlibris, Bloomington, Indiana in 2006. The Award has been established to recognize a graduating student enrolled in the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts for an essay on a topic related to either Canadian or American Literature after the year 1900. Awarded to the writer of the winning essay by the Faculty of Arts, upon recommendation of a committee selected by the Chair of the Department of English.

Catherine M. Shaw Renaissance Award

Established in 2006 by Professor Catherine M. Shaw, a former McGill professor, to recognize and promote outstanding scholarship on Renaissance literature by undergraduate students in the English Department. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee on the recommendation of the English Department to an outstanding student for the best essay on Renaissance literature. Student essays on Shakespeare are not eligible.

Catherine M. Shaw Shakespeare Award

Established in 2006 by Professor Catherine M. Shaw, a former McGill professor, to recognize and promote outstanding scholarship on Shakespeare by undergraduate students in the English Department. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee on the recommendation of the English Department to an outstanding student for the best Shakespeare essay.

Kay MacIver Memorial Prize

Established in 1980 by Emeritus Professor of Music Helmut Blume in memory of Catherine Claire (“Kay”) MacIver, outstanding Canadian broadcaster. For the best English essay by an undergraduate on a subject in the field of English Canadian or French Canadian Literature. Awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Academic Excellence Awards

Dora Forsyth Prize

Bequeathed by the late Miss Jeanie Forsyth for English Literature. Open to female students only and awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Harry Barker Memorial Prize

Bequeathed by the late Miss Dinah Lee in memory of the late Mr. Harry Barker. Awarded to the student with the highest standing in English in the initial year. Awarded on recommendation of the Department of English.

Jessie Norris Memorial Award

Awarded on the basis of academic merit to a student in the Department of English who is entering the final year. Awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Margaret Graham Neeson Scholarship

Established in 2008 in honour of Margaret Graham Neeson, B.A. 1940, by her family on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee upon recommendation of the Department of English, to an outstanding undergraduate student who has completed at least one year of the Honours English program in the Faculty of Arts.

Mary Keenan Scholarship in English

Awarded by the Department of English to a student proceeding at McGill from the B.A. to the M.A. in English. The need and ability of the student are considered.

Shakespeare Scholarship

For a student advancing to the final year with special distinction in English Honours courses. Awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English.

Shakespeare Gold Medal

Established in 1864 by citizens of Montreal to commemorate the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare, for English Language and Literature. The recipient of the Medal is awarded both the Lionel Shapiro Award for Achievement in English ($3,000) and the Corrine Fay Tabac Memorial Prize in English Literature ($75).

Cross-Department Awards

Charles E. Fremes Memorial Scholarship

Established in 2007 in memory of Charles E. Fremes, B.A. 1969, former Chief Executive Officer of Edelman Public Relations Canada. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Scholarships Committee upon recommendation of the Department of English and the Department of Art History and Communication Studies. Awarded to an undergraduate student who has shown achievement in both English and Communication Studies and who has demonstrated leadership.

Charles William Snyder Memorial Scholarships

Four scholarships founded by the late L.P. Snyder, Esq., in memory of his son, Charles William Snyder, a student of First Year Arts who was killed in the Battle of Sanctuary Wood on June 2nd, 1916. Awarded on the results of the sessional examinations to students entering the final year of the Bachelor of Arts program. Two scholarships are awarded on the recommendation of the Department of English to students taking either Honours or Majors in English; one scholarship is awarded on the recommendation of the Department of Economics to a student taking either Honours or Majors in Economics; another scholarship is awarded on the recommendation of the department concerned to a student taking a joint program in English and another subject.

Dow-Hickson Scholarships

Established in 1957 by a bequest from the late Dr. J. William A. Hickson and awarded to students entering the penultimate or the final year of the Honours programs in English Literature, Philosophy, or Psychology. Awarded by a joint committee of the scholarships committees of the Faculties of Arts and of Science upon the recommendations of the departments concerned.

Elsie Stephen Reford Scholarship

Two scholarships established by Mrs. R.W. Reford in 1920. One scholarship is available in each of the Departments of English and Philosophy. Awarded to an outstanding student on recommendation of the departments concerned.

James Darling McCall Scholarships

Two scholarships founded in 1920 by the late J.T. McCall, Esq., in memory of his son, James D. McCall, B.Sc., who drowned shortly after the war of 1914-18, in which he served with distinction. Awarded to students entering the final year; one scholarship is available to a student taking Honours in English and the other to a student taking Honours in Philosophy. Awarded on recommendation of the departments concerned.