Award Winners | The Writing Program

Previous Award Winners by Year

2023-24 Creative Writing Awards

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 4^th”
3rd Prize: Lucy Niemira, “The Arboretum”

2019-20 Creative Writing Awards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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”