Aid and Awards

The department of English awards several prizes each spring to graduating seniors who excel in study, research, and writing. Students are recommended and nominated by English faculty.

Outstanding Undergraduate English Major Award

Established in 1998 and presented in honor of the distinguished teaching careers of Professors Emerson Brown, Jr., Ann Jennalie Cook, and Leonard Nathanson. The award is given to the English major who best embodies the values of intellectual excellence, scholarly discipline, and engagement with the subject of English literature.

Best Undergraduate Honors Thesis Award

Awarded in recognition of the best Honors thesis written by a graduating senior.

Merrill Moore Award

Three awards are given each year to creative writers in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This award was endowed in 1961 by Mrs. Merrill Moore of Squantum, Massachusetts, in memory of her husband, Dr. Merrill Moore (1903-1957). Dr. Moore was a psychiatrist who received his undergraduate degree (1924) and his medical degree (1928) at Vanderbilt.

The Academy of American Poets University and College Poetry Prize

Established in 1955 to encourage interest in poetry and writing among college students. All students enrolled at Vanderbilt University are eligible. The winner receives a cash award and a one-year membership to the Academy of American Poets.