English graduate awards

There are three types of awards:

Nominations for the awards must be submitted by January 24, 2025. Award prizes range from $150 to $3,500.

Student-submitted awards

Students will submit their own work from their courses during the past calendar year. Essays and creative writing can only be entered into one award competition. All submissions must conform to the applicable guidelines.

Award Description
English Rhetoric Essay Award Two awards, one each for MA and PhD students. This prize goes to the writer of the best essay on rhetoric and associated fields submitted in a course taken during the past calendar year by a graduate student enrolled at some time during that year. Two judges.

Graduate Creative Writing Award

One award for the best submission of either prose or poetry—Maximum total length 10 standard pages (250 words per page): 1-5 poems or 1-5 short prose works or extracts from longer works. Two judges.

Graduate 
Professional
Communication Award

This prize goes to the best work of applied professional communication and communication design (including professional writing, digital media, games, etc.); maximum length 10 standard pages or equivalent. Students may submit work created for a course or co-op placement during the past calendar year. Submissions should be examples of professional communication. Assignments that analyze texts should be submitted to another appropriate award. Two judges.
Independent Graduate Instructor Award for Excellence in Teaching

Graduate Instructors wishing to be considered for this award must a) submit a teaching portfolio and b) obtain a brief statement of support (approx. 250-500 words) from a faculty member who can speak to their teaching effectiveness as an instructor.

Portfolios for this award should include their course syllabus, their teaching philosophy that describes what distinguishes their excellence in the design and delivery of the course, and supporting documents from their teaching activities. Supporting documents might include, for example, samples of assignments, lesson plans, student feedback, evidence of student interactions or other materials related to the course.

The entire package (faculty statement of support and complete teaching portfolio) should be submitted directly to the awards coordinators, Bruce Dadey or Carter Neal, by the awards deadline.
The Lea Vogel-Nimmo English Graduate Professionalization Award

One award provided annually to full-time English graduate students registered in the Master’s or PhD program on the basis of academic excellence (minimum 80%) and merit of professionalization activities.  The student must submit a short (250 word) description of how the professionalization funds will be used e.g. research travel costs, conference attendance or special research expenditures. Not available 2024/25.

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Faculty-nominated awards

Faculty members, including sessional and graduate instructors, can nominate work submitted in their courses during the past calendar year.  Sessional and graduate instructors are, at this time, unable to submit via the online portal; please email englaward@uwaterloo.ca and the Department will assist you with your submission.

Please note that each submission can only be entered into one award competition and typically, faculty submit no more than one essay for an award per course taught.  All submissions must conform to the applicable guidelines.

Award Description
David Beltz Memorial Prize Two awards, one each for M.A. and Ph.D. students. These prizes go to the best essays on literature submitted in a course taken during the past calendar year by graduate students enrolled at some time during that year. Two judges.

Graduate
Professional Communication Award

This prize goes to the best work of applied professional communication and communication design (including professional writing, digital media, games, etc.); maximum length 10 standard pages or equivalent. Faculty may submit work created for a course during the last calendar year. Submissions should be examples of professional communication. Assignments that analyze texts should be submitted to another appropriate award. Two judges.
English Rhetoric Essay Award

Two awards, one each for MA and PhD students. This prize goes to the writer of the best essay on rhetoric and associated fields submitted in a course taken during the past calendar year by a graduate student enrolled at some time during that year. Two judges.
TA Award for Excellence in Teaching

Mentoring or supervising faculty indicate their nomination for outstanding student teachers on the end-of-term evaluation they complete.  If the TA wishes to accept the nomination and submit their teaching portfolio, then faculty must then also provide a brief statement of support (approx. 250-500 words).

Nominated students will be contacted and​ asked to submit a teaching portfolio for consideration by the awards deadline.

Portfolios for this award should include a 250-500 word narrative that explains what distinguishes them as excellent TAs, with supporting documents from their teaching activities. Supporting documents might include sample marked assignments, sample discussion posts, correspondence with students, student feedback, a guest lecture lesson plan, evidence about the quantity and quality of interaction with students, or any other materials related to their TA role.

The teaching portfolio should be submitted directly to the awards coordinators, Bruce Dadey or Carter Neal by the awards deadline.

Other awards

Students registered in the appropriate department programs are automatically eligible for these awards.

Award Description

Graduate Co-op Work Report Award

All work reports submitted in the year prior to the spring awards ceremony will be considered for this award. Two judges. 
The David Nimmo English Graduate Scholarship For more information, visit the David Nimmo English Graduate Scholarship Awards page. 
Gladys Srivastava Graduate Scholarship For more information, visit the Gladys Srivastava Graduate Scholarship Awards page. 

Jack Gray Graduate Fellowship

 Awarded each Fall, the Jack Gray Fellowship is awarded to a student with the highest average who is not receiving external funding. Based on performance in M.A. and Ph.D. programmes in previous academic year (Fall to Spring). 
W. K. Thomas Graduate Scholarship For more information, visit the W.K. Thomas Graduate Scholarship Awards page.