Awards and Prizes

The Clare Murray Fooshee Poetry Prize is an annual competition open to all full-time or part-time undergraduate Students from Dalhousie or King's College.  The first, second and third place prizes are awarded for the best pieces decided by a group of judges selected from the Dalhousie faculty. 

• Winners for the 2012 Fooshee Prize
  
• Winners for the 2013 Fooshee Prize
  
• Winners for the 2015 Fooshee Prize
  
• Winners for the 2016 Fooshee Prize
  
• Winners for the 2017 Fooshee Prize
  
• Winners for the 2018 Fooshee Prize
  

The Department of English and the Dalhousie English Society present a Valentine's Day Contest. The task is to write a sonnet on a theme appropriate to Valentine's Day: love, unrequited love, rejected love, seasonally instigated dental caries, or a reproach to Saint Valentine for buying into the patriarchal economy of the exchange of women, for examples.  The sonnet may be in any of the recognized sonnet forms.  The contest is open to all declared English or Creative Writing majors and honours students (the contestant's transcript must show a declared English program), Dalhousie or King's.  Anonymous entries, the authors of which are identified only by B00 number, are to be placed in the departmental entry box by February 1st. Contestants agree that winning entries may be published by the department.  Prizes are as follows: 1st Prize $200, 2nd Prize $150, 3rd Prize $100 and two honourable mentions at $50 each, as well as some boxes of chocolate for the runner ups.  The prizes will be awarded at a reading and celebration on February 14th at the University Club at 4:00pm. 

• Winners for the 2012 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  
• Winners for the 2013 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  
• Winners for the 2015 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  
• Winners for the 2016 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  
• Winners for the 2017 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  
• Winners for the 2018 Valentine's Sonnet Contest
  

Thanks to a donation from alumnus William Blakeney, the Department has instituted a Gothic creative writing competition, in honour of Devendra Varma, formerly of the Dalhousie English Department. First ($500), second ($150), and third ($100) prizes will be awarded for original works of fiction or poetry with a gothic setting or theme. Submissions (250 words maximum) should be deposited in the drop box in the English department office in late October (date TBD). Submissions should be identified by student number ONLY (B00***).  Contestants must have declared English or Creative Writing as a focus of their degree program (Honours, Combined Honours, Major, Double Major), and this must appear on their transcript at the time of judging.  Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony (TBD). Judges and contestants are encouraged to come in costume.

• Winners for the 2012 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature
  
• Winners for the 2014 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature
  
• Winners for the 2015 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature
  
• Winners for the 2016 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature
  
• Winners for the 2017 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature
  
• Winners for the 2018 Varma Prize in Gothic Literature

Each year the Department of English offers a medal to the top First Class Honours graduate of Creative Writing in recognition of superior achievement in the program.

Recipients of the University Medal in Creative Writing:
2017/18 - Trynne Delaney
2016/17 - Shannon Payne
2015/16 - Dina Gang
2014/15 - Brittany Graham
2013/14 - Katherine Connell
2012/13 - Mollie Winter
2011/12 - Robin Spittal
2010/09 - Sheena Townsend