Northern Illinois University
Department of English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Each spring, the English department holds a competition to select the best paper or papers written in an undergraduate English course during the year. Cash prizes are awarded to the authors of the winning papers. The usual deadline for submission is mid-April.

Each spring, this cash award is presented to the outstanding student completing the department's teacher-certification program. The recipient is selected by the Committee on Initial Teacher Certification in English.

Awarded annually to outstanding students in poetry-writing courses.

Provides support for high school or transfer students majoring in English. Funds may also be used for Sigma Tau Delta membership fees and student travel/conference support.

This award is open to all full-time undergraduate students in good academic standing. Literary fiction submissions must not exceed 15 double-spaced, typed pages. Blind submissions with a cover sheet including the author's name, ZID number, and contact information are required.

Recognizes one or two outstanding papers from English majors enrolled in undergraduate or graduate film and literature classes over the past year.

This endowed scholarship is awarded each semester to an undergraduate English major seeking teacher certification and placed in student teaching. The criteria for the award are financial need, academic achievement, and promise of success as a teacher. Applications from students in the English teacher-certification program are solicited in the semester preceding student teaching.

Each spring, this cash award is presented to one or more graduate and undergraduate students majoring in English who will be studying in England as part of the NIU at Oxford University Summer Program. Contact the department or study abroad office for additional information and application forms. The deadline is February 1.

Applications should be submitted through NIU MyScholarships.

This award is presented each year for the best essays submitted for graduate English courses. For information, please contact the graduate studies director.

The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarship support for graduate students in English who will work on the journal Style to enhance its long-term quality. This may take the form of internships, service, and other “out-of-classroom” learning opportunities that may be a pivotal life experience in a student’s academic career.

The scholarship may not be held at the same time as a graduate assistantship assignment to work on the journal. Undergraduates may be considered when suitable graduate candidates are not found; in that case, preference will be given to students who have applied to and been accepted into the Honors Program.

Scholarship awards will be held for one academic year; however, prior recipients are eligible to apply for additional awards in subsequent years. The deadline is February 1.

One or two outstanding student papers from English majors who were enrolled in undergraduate or graduate film and literature classes over the past year.

The Harlan Teller Award, worth $1,000, is announced in April for the best dissertation completed in the previous calendar year. Contact the graduate studies director for additional information.

The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarship support for graduate students in the process of completing their dissertation within the Department of English. The deadline is February 1.

A cover sheet should accompany the essay and should include:

• Student's name
• Student's Z-ID
• Local and permanent addresses
• Local and permanent phone numbers
• Course and section number of the course in which the paper was submitted

The cover sheet is the ONLY sheet on which the student's name should appear.

Essays can be submitted to the first-year composition office support specialist at the English department office, Reavis Hall, Room 215. Essays can also be placed in the mail slot outside Room 214 after regular office hours.

This award honors the memory of Mae Thomas, a faculty member in the department and an administrator in NIU's CHANCE program.

The award recognizes the best essays written for an assignment in ENGL 102 or ENGL 103P. There are no restrictions on subject matter, mode of development, or length.

Eligibility: Any student enrolled in a first-year composition course during the preceding summer, fall, or spring term is eligible to submit an essay for consideration.

This award honors the memory of Maude Uhland, a faculty member who taught first-year composition at NIU from 1922 until her retirement in 1958.

The Maude Uhland Award recognizes the best essays written to fulfill a first-year composition course requirement. Essays can be of any subject matter, development mode, or length.

Eligibility: Any student enrolled in a first-year composition course during the preceding summer, fall, or spring term is eligible to submit an essay for consideration.

This award honors the memory of Jan Kiergaard, a faculty member in the department and director of the ESL Center for many years.

The award recognizes the best essays written to fulfill a course requirement in ENGL 103 ESL, ENGL 203 ESL, ENGL 451, ENGL 452, or ENGL 453.

Eligibility: Any student enrolled in the applicable courses during the preceding summer, fall, or spring term is eligible to submit an essay for consideration.

Brief Description:

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of expression, and first-year composition is designed to enhance students' ability to exercise that freedom in writing. This contest encourages students to engage in critical thinking about free expression, diversity, and inclusion in American and international cultures.

Essays must be on the subject of cultural diversity. Any writing mode is acceptable, including narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, or a combination thereof.

This award is named after Gail H. White, the first coordinator of the Writing Center at NIU, who led the center until her retirement.

The award recognizes outstanding tutors from the Writing Center, ESL Center, or Communication Skills Lab.

A copy of the submission guidelines is available in the English department office, Reavis Hall, Room 215.

The Queen Victoria Hardison Award honors an outstanding tutor from the Writers' Workshop.

Named for a former NIU tutor who earned both law and undergraduate English degrees, the award recognizes professionalism and excellence in guiding CHANCE-admitted first-year writers.

Nomination forms are available in Reavis 215.

To support the work of feminist scholars in the English department, Professor Emerita Mary Suzanne Schriber endowed this fellowship. The fellowship provides funding for faculty research on women’s literature and language from a feminist perspective.

Graduate students may also participate in the program. The first Schriber Award Scholar was selected in the 2014-2015 academic year for a two-year term.

Established in 1989, this award honors Professor Giannasi, the department’s first official rhetorician and longtime director of first-year composition.

The award is presented to an instructor in the first-year composition program who demonstrates outstanding teaching excellence in the classroom.