Awards and Prizes

The English Department holds several contests and awards many prizes throughout the academic year. Listed below are the various currently active contests and prizes previously awarded. 

Mike Angel Award
This award honors the achievements of English major Mike Angel. It is presented to a graduating senior who has shown distinction, extraordinary merit, and great perseverance.

Joyce Tayloe Horrell Award
Established in memory of Joyce Tayloe Horrell, a graduate student, teacher, and advisor in the English Department, this award is presented to the most academically distinguished graduating English major.

Joseph W. Houppert Memorial Prize
Named for Professor Joseph Houppert, a distinguished scholar of the English Renaissance, this prize is presented to the undergraduate student who has produced the best essay on Shakespeare.

Sandy Mack Award for Outstanding Honors Thesis
Named for Professor Sandy Mack, who guided the English Honors Program for many years, this award is given to the honors student with the most outstanding overall record in English.

Sara Ann Soper English Undergraduate Service Award
Established by Shannon Altman, an English major and 1999 graduate of the University, in memory of her mother, Sara Ann Soper, this award is given annually to a graduating English major who has performed exemplary community service.

Henrietta Spiegel Creative Writing Award
Established by Henrietta Spiegel, who completed her B.A. in English at the age of 85, this award honors the graduating senior with the most exceptional work in creative writing.

English Department Commencement Speaker
For the English Department’s spring and fall commencement ceremonies, Undergraduate English Studies invites one of our graduating seniors to speak on stage.  A speaker is chosen from self-nominating applicants who audition for the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  Although only one speaker is chosen, the Department now recognizes other exceptional applicants with honorable mentions.