The Literary House Genre Fiction Prize is a brand-new prize awarded to a Washington College undergraduate for the best work of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or horror. The winner receives a cash prize of $500.

This year’s prize was awarded to junior Val Dunn for her short story, “The Shoe That Fit.” 

 

The William W. Warner Prize is awarded to the Washington College undergraduate who shows the greatest aptitude for writing about nature and the environment. This prize is named for, and was endowed in the honor of, William W. Warner, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, based on his experiences living and working among crab fishermen on the Chesapeake. According to Mr. Warner’s wishes, the judges will give preference to—but will in no way limit their consideration to—students who write about the natural history of our Atlantic Littoral, from the Canadian Arctic to the Gulf of Florida. The winner receives a cash prize of $1,000.

This year’s Warner Prize was awarded to senior Sarah Roy for her piece, “All Saints.” Because of the high quality of submissions this year, we also awarded a $500 Honorable Mention for the Warner Prize to sophomore Reilly Cox for his piece, “The Geladas, the Gazelle, and the Bovine.”

 

The Jude & Miriam Pfister Poetry Prize is also brand-new this year. It was created through the Academy of American Poets, one of the nation’s most influential poetry organizations, and is administered through the Washington College Department of English and the Rose O’Neill Literary House. The prize is awarded to a Washington College undergraduate for a single poem and the winner receives a cash prize of $100 and a certificate from the Academy of American Poets.

This year’s Pfister Poetry Prize was awarded to senior Alex Stinton for his poem “A Mother Remembers.” Honorable Mention for the Pfister Prize was awarded to Val Dunn for her poem “Shearing.”

 

We offer our most sincere congratulations to this year’s prize winners for their fine writing!

 

The Rose O’Neill Literary House at Washington College serves as one of the cultural centers of campus, bringing together students, faculty, alumni, and local community members from across the disciplines. Our literary programming provides access to a wide variety of genres, including fiction, poetry,  creative nonfiction, scholarly prose, playwriting, and hybrid forms; our letterpress studio and Literary House Press introduce participants both to old and new technologies. We are dedicated to promoting the articulated word and to supporting students through professional, on-the-job training.