Villanova English Department Essay Awards

If you have a piece of work that you're especially proud of, consider submitting it for consideration for one of these awards.

The Margaret Powell Esmonde Memorial Award, which comes with a prize of $250, is given to the most distinguished scholarly or critical essay written by a graduate student Villanova within the previous 12 months.

The Jerome J. Fischer Memorial Award, which come with a prize of $250, is given to the most distinguished scholarly or critical essays written by an undergraduate student at Villanova within the last 12 months. Submissions for the Fischer Award must have been written either for a Villanova English course (all except ENG 1975) or for a Villanova Honors course taught by a member of the Villanova English faculty. It is permissible to revise or expand papers beyond what was submitted for the course. Submissions may also be excerpted from a senior Honors thesis.

The Core Literature and Writing Seminar Essay Award, which also comes with a prize of $250, is given to the most distinguished critical essay written for a Villanova Core Literature and Writing Seminar (ENG 1975) in the previous calendar year (i.e. in 2020).

Format

• In addition to the essay, submissions should include a cover page including the course and professor for which the paper was written, as well as their local address, email, and telephone number.
• Submissions should also include the essay assignment, if available.
• Essays should be formatted in Times New Roman 12 (or equivalent font) and double-spaced. For the Fischer Award, papers up to 6 pages will be considered separately from papers that are 6-15 pages. Longer papers are expected to engage scholarly sources.
• Essays should be formatted in MLA or Chicago Style.
• Only one submission per student is allowed.
• Judges are looking for argumentative originality and rigor, elegance of writing, and interpretive incisiveness. Submissions should be carefully proofread.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 9, 2021. E-mail submissions via attachment to sharon.rose-davis@villanova.edu or joseph.drury@villanova.edu.

For previous winners, as well as information about Jerome J. Fischer, see our department Awards page.