English Scholarships and Competitions
The Department of English Language and Literature offers several scholarship opportunities and competitions for English majors and minors. All English students are invited to attend the end of the year banquet for an evening of celebration with fellow students and staff.
Scholarship applications are open October 1 - November 30 through Scholarship Universe. Creative Writing competitions are due Friday, March 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
English Department scholarships
Marion Croft Althoff Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to a student majoring in English with the intent to teach.
- Undergraduate students
- Award can be used for tuition and food and housing
- Must be recommended by an English faculty member familiar with the student's work
- Based on financial need
Applications open October 1 - November 30.
E.C. Beck Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to a student majoring in English with the intent to teach English.
- Undergraduate students
- Must be nominated by an English faculty member who is familiar with the student's work
- Preference to juniors and seniors
- Based on scholarship, financial need, and probable teaching success
Applications open October 1 - November 30
Reverend Lloyd C. and Ica L. Bronson Memorial Award
Scholarship awarded to full-time English majors completing their junior year.
- Junior or higher standing
- Minimum 3.5 GPA
- Must show documented work with minority groups (particularly ethnic or gender)
Applications open October 1- November 30.
Jeanette R. House Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to an English literature major entering senior year at CMU.
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Must submit two letters of recommendation and an essay about why you want to study literature
- Scholarship is nonrenewable
Applications open October 1 - November 30.
Francis J. and Mary Lois Molson English Education Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to an English major or minor pursuing secondary education certification.
- Undergraduate student
- Minimum 3.25 overall GPA
- Must demonstrate academic excellence
Applications open October 1 - November 30.
Clara Lee Moodie Scholarship
Scholarship awarded to a English graduate student
- Graduate level standing
- Intent to teach at high school or college level
- Preference will be given to students wishing to teach American literature
- Scholarship is renewable
Applications open October 1 - November 30.
Creative writing competitions and prizes
Please review the application forms below for each Creative Writing award. Deadline: Friday, March 27 at 5:00 p.m.
Daryl and the Beans Award
The Daryl and the Beans Award in Fiction Writing is open to any CMU undergraduate or graduate student. Please submit one short story or novel excerpt, a maximum of 30 typed and double-spaced pages of fiction; please number the pages. Submit your stories through Scholarship Universe.
A prize of $237 is awarded to the best fiction short story written by a CMU student.
Robert Bixby Award
The Robert Bixby Award is open to any CMU undergraduate student for a manuscript of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Submit an original creative writing portfolio containing either up to five pages of poetry OR a single fictional short story or creative nonfiction essay of up to 20 pages. Type and double-space the manuscripts; number pages. Include a cover page with the author's name, address, phone number, and email, and the name of the contest (i.e., "Robert Bixby Award."). Also indicate the genre of the submission (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction). Additionally, all entrants should attach a brief statement of how the award would be used. Submit your entries through Scholarship Universe.
A prize of $500 will be awarded to the best Creative Writing done by a CMU student. The winning entry will be selected by an outside judge.
This award honors CMU alumnus Robert J. Bixby, fiction writer and editor/publisher of March Street Press, and is made possible with a generous grant from Kathy Bixby.
The Jett W. Whitehead Poetry Award
The Jett W. Whitehead Poetry Award is open to any undergraduate or graduate student who has taken a creative writing class at CMU in the current academic year. This prize is sponsored by Mr. Jett Whitehead, an alum of the program. Each entrant may submit up to three typed poems of any length.
A prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the best poem written by a CMU student. The contest will be judged by the creative writing faculty, and this year’s special guest judge. Submit your poems through Scholarship Universe.
This prize is administered by the Creative Writing Faculty of the Department of English Language and Literature in celebration of National Poetry Month, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mr. Jett Whitehead and PoetryJett.com.
The Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize
The Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize is open to all CMU undergraduate students. Please submit 3 poems (one poem per page) and a cover sheet. The cover sheet must include your name, address, phone number and email address, the name of the contest (The Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize) AND the titles of the 3 poems you are submitting. Please include your name ONLY on your cover sheet, not on the poems. Submit your poems through Scholarship Universe.
A prize of $100 and a one-year membership to the Academy of Poets is awarded to the best poem written by a CMU student.
This prize is administered by the Creative Writing Faculty of the Department of English Language and Literature, with thanks to the generous sponsorship of CMU alumnus Phillip Sterling, who has endowed the prize in the name of poet and Professor Emeritus Eric Torgersen.