The University awards a number of prizes each year for submissions in a variety of literary forms. These include essays, poems and plays, as well as several literary competitions that recognize student writing on a specific topic. In addition to a cash prize, many of these awards provide publication credit in Overland. Some require an application, while others are awarded at the discretion of our editorial board.
This prize honors undergraduate writing that meets Sir Sidney Cox’s high standards for originality and integrity, as embodied in his teaching methods and book Indirections for Those Who Want to Write. It is named in his memory by his former students. The contest is administered by a committee, of which Robert Frost ’96 and A. B. Guthrie are honorary chairmen and Budd Schulberg ’36 is active chairman.
The annual Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction loosely themed around the notion of travel. Overland editors Patrick Lenton, Alice Bishop and Sara Saleh have selected eight shortlisted stories for consideration this year, along with the winning entry. The winner will be published in Overland’s autumn 2024 issue, and two runners-up will also appear online. This year, the judges have chosen Annie Zhang’s story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’, which tells of a couple’s struggle to live with ghosts in their new home.
This award is granted to an advanced graduate student or recent PhD for the best unpublished article stemming from dissertation research that contributes significantly to its field and to the history of Christianity more broadly. The winning essay will be published in Church History.
Established in memory of Professor Philip Sidney Ardern, the prize is intended to promote the study of Old and Middle English literature. However, the prize is not restricted to work in these fields, but is open to any submission that most closely reflects the prize-winning qualities of Professor Ardern’s work.
The Sidney H. Schanberg Prize is awarded annually to a Harvard Law School student for an outstanding paper on a topic related to the legal profession, including but not limited to: the practice of law, its role in society, changes in the legal profession over time, comparisons between lawyers and other professional service providers, diversity and gender-related issues in the profession, and the impact of globalization or other social trends upon it.
This prize is named in honor of the founding president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (a precursor to Workers United, SEIU) and his wife, Jane Freiman Schanberg. It has been awarded since 1950 to journalists who pursue investigative journalism in service to the common good.
This prize is presented annually to a U.S or Canadian journalist who has demonstrated excellence in covering issues of interest to progressives. The winner will be given a $5,000 cash prize and a plaque. The call for entries opens on November 12, 2024. The deadline is January 15, 2025. Click here for more information.