The Department of English's Writing Prize Competition is an annual contest open to all University of Cincinnati students enrolled in the current academic year.  

Undergraduate and Graduate students compete in an array of categories for monetary prizes, recognition, and certificates of achievement. Some undergraduate categories will be considered for publication in the Short Vine undergraduate journal.

2025 Writing Prize Competition Results

1.  Compose your entry in a Microsoft Word or PDF attached document. We cannot accept linked documents.

2. Create a fictitious pen name. Use your pen name as the name for your Word or PDF document. The file should not contain any identifying information except your pen name. Please scrub identifying information from the title and body of the work. 

3. If submitting to multiple awards, please use the same pen name. Judges vary from award to award, so additional pen names are unnecessary. 

4. Format your submission email.
Subject: Academic Level-Prize Category-Pen Name-Real Name. i.e. Undergraduate-English Composition Prize-Harry Potter-John Smith 
Body: M#. 

5. Submit your entry to artsci-english@ucmail.uc.edu. 

Final Deadline: Check back for 2026 dates.

• Academy of American Poets Prize: Best single poem.
  
• English Composition Prize: Outstanding Essays written for an ENGL1000, 1001, 1002, 1012 or 2089 class during Spring 2024 or later.
• Hopton Short Story Prize: Best short story of 12 pages or less.
  
• Jean Chimsky Poetry Prize: Outstanding group of three to five poems.
• Literary Nonfiction Prize: Best submission of 10 pages or less.
• Playwriting Prize: Best drama or play.
  
• Professional Writing Prize: Excellence in professional writing.
  
• Robinson Essay Prize: Outstanding essay.
  
• Shakespeare Prize: Best essay written on Shakespeare.
• Staples Capstone Prize: Best capstone project in any English capstone course this academic year.
• Screenplay Prize: Best short screenplay of 10 pages or less. 
  

• Academy of American Poets Prize: Best single poem.
• Hatfield/Westheimer Short Story Prize: Best short story of 10 pages or less.
• Jean Chimsky Poetry Prize: Outstanding group of three to five poems.
• Literary Nonfiction Prize: Best submission of 10 pages or less.
• Playwriting Prize: Best play.
  
• Professional Writing Prize: Excellence in professional writing.
• Robin Sheets Critical Essay Prize: Best critical essay.
• Shakespeare Prize: Best essay written on Shakespeare.

Open only to UC students registered during the 2024-25 academic year.

Limited to one entry per category. Students may enter multiple categories, but cannot use the same entry in multiple categories.

Prizes vary by category, and range from certificates of achievement to monetary awards. Monetary awards may affect financial aid or be applied to outstanding UC bills. Categories are judged by small committees of volunteer faculty from across the various tracks of English. Committees change every year. The Academy of American Poets and Hatfiel/Westheimer Short Story prizes are judged externally.