Awards and Prizes

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

The Avie Bennett Prize

This prize ($500 plus a complete set of the New Canadian Library) is one of six established by Mr. Avie Bennett, Chairman and President of McClelland and Stewart to mark the company’s 90th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the New Canadian Library, of which the founding general editor was Dalhousie Professor Emeritus, Dr Malcolm M. Ross. It is awarded each year to the best essay on Canadian literature submitted from an undergraduate class at Dalhousie during the current academic year. Essays may have been written for classes in any department, but they should focus explicitly on a Canadian literary topic and not on history or culture more generally, and they must be written in English. Essays should be nominated by instructors; clean copies should be submitted by the specified date.

The Allan and Lura Bevan Memorial Scholarship

The Bevan Scholarship is awarded to a student who will be entering the third year of a general or honours B.A. in English.The Dalhousie English Department will award the scholarship each spring. In the absence of a suitable candidate, the award will be given to a third year Music student and will be awarded by the Dalhousie Music Department. Students registered at both Dalhousie and King's are eligible.

Barbara Bennett Chittick Prize

The Bennett prize is awarded annually to an outstanding first-year student enrolled in English 1000, 1010, or 1020. Section instructors will normally make nominations, which shall consist of a letter from the instructor on why the student should receive the award, the student's final grade, and an unmarked sample essay.

The Honourable W.H. Dennis Prize

This annual contest is open to all Dalhousie full-time or part-time graduate or undergraduate students. The contest is broken down into two sections; there are two prizes, the Joseph Howe Prizes for poetry and two other prizes, James DeMille Prizes one for essay writing and another for a short story. Entries are adjudicated by a panel of judges appointed by the Department of English. Click Here for the rules and entry information.

Clare Murray Fooshee Poetry Prize

The Clare Murray Fooshee Poetry Prize is an annual competition open to all full-time or part-time undergraduate Students from Dalhousie or King's College. The first, second and third place prizes are awarded for the best pieces decided by a group of judges selected from the Dalhousie faculty. Click Here for the rules and entry information.

The Graham Creighton Prize

Awarded annually to a student entering his or her 4th year of study (i.e. having completed 90 credit hours) in an English Major or Honours (including Double Major or Combined Honours) programme who has demonstrated a high level of academic excellence. Students registered at both Dalhousie and King's are eligible.

The Kim Rilda LeBlanc Memorial Award in Healing and the Arts

This award was established to recognize outstanding interdisciplinary initiatives between the arts and the health sciences, and it honours the memory of this former graduate student in English. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students in the Faculties of Arts and Social
Sciences, Medicine, and Health Professions. Faculty may nominate students who have completed an outstanding project, thesis, or research essay that combines work in the humanities or the arts with work in medicine or health care.

The Archibald MacMechan Chapter/IODE Scholarship in English

The MacMechan/IODE Scholarship is granted to a graduating English student who has demonstrated special abilities at the Undergraduate level. Preference will be given to those who intend to pursue a Master's degree in English. Students registered at King's are not eligible.

Paul McIsaac Memorial Prize

The McIsaac Prize is awarded to a student in the second or third year of study in the Honours or Majors programme in English who demonstrates an enquiring and original mind. Students registered at both Dalhousie and King's are eligible.

Margaret Nicoll Pond Memorial Prize in English

The Pond Prize was endowed by Mr. F.H. Pond of Halifax in memory of his wife, the late Margaret Nicoll Pond, a gifted teacher of English and a devoted alumna and governor of the of Dalhousie University. The prize is awarded to the woman graduating in English with the highest academic standing (i.e. the highest GPA in English classes at the 2000 level and beyond). Students registered at both Dalhousie and King's are eligible.

The James W. Tupper Graduate Fellowship in English

Two fellowships, of an annual value of approximately $5,500 each, are
awarded by the English Department, on the recommendation of the
Undergraduate Committee, to students selected on the criteria of the
GPA of all English classes at the 2000 level and beyond and a clear
indication that the student(s) will go on to do graduate work. The work
must be done at a university approved by the faculty; it need not be
held at Dalhousie. Students registered at both Dalhousie and King's
are eligible.

The University Medal in English

Each year the Department of English offers a medal to the top First Class Honours graduate in recognition of superior achievement in the programme.

The Varma Prizes in Gothic Literature

Thanks to a donation from alumnus William Blakeney, the Department has instituted a Gothic creative writing competition, in honour of Devendra Varma, formerly of the Dalhousie English Department. First ($500), second ($150), and third ($100) prizes will be awarded for original works of fiction or poetry with a gothic setting or theme. Submissions (250 words maximum) should be deposited in the drop box in the English department office by October 22, 2009. Submissions should be identified by student number ONLY (B00***). Contestants must have declared English or Creative Writing as a focus of their degree program (Honours, Combined Honours, Major, Double Major), and this must appear on their transcript at the time of judging. Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony and reception held in the Grawood Lounge, October 30, 4:30-6:30. Judges and contestants are encouraged to come in costume.

GRADUATE AWARDS

C.L. Bennet Memorial Scholarship

The Department of English has designated that one University scholarship in the amount of $500 be awarded annually as a memorial to the late Professor of English, Dr. C.L. Bennet. This award will be made to an outstanding graduate of a Maritime or Newfoundland university (other than Dalhousie) who wishes to pursue an MA in English at Dalhousie. Eligible students should apply for graduate study in English in the usual way, by February 15, indicating a desire to be considered for the Bennet award. Further details may be obtained from the Department of English, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 3J5.

The Malcom Ross Award

Established to honour Malcolm Ross, founding editor of the New Canadian Library and Professor Emeritus in the Department of English, a prize of $200 to be awarded to an outstanding MA or PhD thesis on Canadian Literature. McClelland and Stewart have generously provided the funding to recognise Professor Ross’s role in forwarding the study of Canadian literature.