Student Prizes & Awards

Timeline for 2026 English Prizes:

The submission window will open on Friday, March 6, 2026 and close on Friday, April 3, 2026. Be sure to send in your work before the deadline!

Each year, the English Department celebrates the achievements of our students across every area of study and creative practice. From original works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to excellence in composition, public speaking, and the study of Shakespeare, our students demonstrate extraordinary talent and dedication. We also recognize the scholarly rigor and originality of theses that showcase the depth of our students’ critical and creative engagement with literature. These awards honor the breadth of student accomplishment and the vibrant intellectual life of our community, with monetary prizes awarded to winners.

Congratulations to our 2026 Prize Winners!

THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE

1st Prize: Alenka Doyle ’26

THE ALUMNI PRIZES IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION

1st Prize: Melanie Rayl ’26
2nd Prize: Sean Balbale ’27

THE ELMA MARTIN BOOK PRIZE

Jayda Clarke ’26

THE F.A. BROWN PRIZE

1st Prize: Luke Pinn ’28
2nd Prize: CC Kaplan ’29 & Emmanuel Gezahegne Mitikie ’26

THE FRED PFEIL MEMORIAL PRIZE IN CREATIVE WRITING

1st Prize: Luke Pinn ’28

THE JAN COHN SENIOR THESIS AWARD

Annabelle Pappas ’26

THE JOHN CURTIS UNDERWOOD ‘96 MEMORIAL PRIZES IN POETRY

1st Prize: Elsa Lestage ’27
2nd Prize: Sadie Zeiner-Morrish ’26
3rd Prize: Winnie Burckle ’27

THE FRANK W. WHITLOCK PRIZES IN DRAMA

1st Prize: Lily Mellitz ’26
2nd Prize: Alex Goiris ’26
3rd Prize: Adrien Braun ’26

THE JOHN DANDO SHAKESPEARE PRIZE

Agnes Camille Agosto ’28

THE RUEL CROMPTON TUTTLE PRIZE

Paulina Campanella ’27 and Maria Korman ’27

THE TRINITY ALUMNUS PRIZES IN PROSE FICTION

1st Prize: Leon Hu ’29
2nd Prize: Birdie Stark ’26
3rd Prize: Makenna True ’27

Available Prizes

Fred Pfeil Memorial Prize in Creative Writing – For original work (fiction, poetry, play, screenplay, or creative nonfiction) that engages with social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships.
Trinity Alumnus Prizes in Fiction – For short stories of any length.
John Curtis Underwood Memorial Prizes in Poetry – For up to four pages of original poetry.
Academy of American Poets Prize – For one poem of any length (with possible national publication).
Frank W. Whitlock Prizes in Drama – For one-act play scripts.
F.A. Brown Prizes in Public Speaking – For an original 5–8 minute persuasive speech on a contemporary issue. Students must sign up. Speeches will be delivered in person. This is a prize in public speaking, and entrants will be judged not just on the strength of their argument but also on their delivery, their ability to engage the audience. Though speeches may be based on a written essay, the text should be delivered from memory, with minimal reference to notecards or screens.
Alumni Prizes in English Composition – For expository essays, including revised and retyped class papers.

Submission Guidelines

Complete the following form.
Include the name of the contest at the top of your entry. Do not put your name on the work itself.
You may submit to multiple contests, but each entry must be a separate attachment labeled with the contest name.

Late submissions will not be accepted.

More information regarding prizes and deadlines can be found here:

2026 Department Prizes Information and Instructions

Previous English Prize Winners

2025 Prize Winners

THE FRED PFEIL MEMORIAL PRIZE IN CREATIVE WRITING
1st Prize: Orly Perez Frid ’26

THE TRINITY ALUMNUS PRIZES IN FICTION
1st Prize: Reese San Diego ’25
2nd Prize: Allie Mikalatos ’25
3rd Prize: Madeleine Bailey ’27

JOHN CURTIS UNDERWOOD MEMORIAL PRIZES IN POETRY
1st Prize: Reese San Diego ’25
2nd Prize: Gemma Feltovich ’25
3rd Prize: Sydney Smith ’25

THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE
1st Prize: Danny Lenois ’25

THE FRANK W. WHITLOCK PRIZES IN DRAMA
1st Prize: Allie Mikalatos ’25
2nd Prize: Kathleen Kelly ’26
3rd Prize: Lily Mellitz ’26

THE ALUMNI PRIZES IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION
1st Prize: Matthew Rinaldi ‘27
2nd Prize: Melanie Rayl ‘26

RUEL CROMPTON TUTTLE PRIZE
Grace Fangmann ‘26 and Melanie Rayl ‘26

THE ELMA MARTIN BOOK PRIZE
Mia Pujols Briceno ‘25

JOHN DANDO SHAKESPEARE PRIZE
Sydney Yu ’25 and Ellie Ryan ‘25

JAN COHN SENIOR THESIS AWARD
Emma Markowski

2024 Prize Winners

THE FRED PFEIL MEMORIAL PRIZE IN CREATIVE WRITING
1st Prize: Matthew Rinaldi ‘27

THE TRINITY ALUMNUS PRIZES IN FICTION
1st Prize: Matthew Rinaldi ‘27
2nd Prize: Naomi Dyer ‘24
3rd Prize: Winifred Burckle ‘27

JOHN CURTIS UNDERWOOD MEMORIAL PRIZES IN POETRY
1st Prize: Allie Mikalatos ‘25
2nd Prize: Sadie Zeiner-Morrish ‘26
3rd Prize: Emeline Avignon ‘24

THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE
1st Prize: Sadie Zeiner-Morrish ‘26

THE FRANK W. WHITLOCK PRIZES IN DRAMA
1st Prize: Savannah Brooks ‘26
2nd Prize: Angelica Gajewski ‘26

THE ALUMNI PRIZES IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION
1st Prize: Matthew Rinaldi ‘27
2nd Prize: Melanie Rayl ‘26

RUEL CROMPTON TUTTLE PRIZE
Emma G. Markowski ‘25 and Reese R. San Diego ‘25

THE ELMA MARTIN BOOK PRIZE
Jessica Bartel ‘24

JOHN DANDO SHAKESPEARE PRIZE
Ayouba Swaray ‘24

THE JAN COHN SENIOR THESIS AWARD
Ella Campopiano

The Alumni Prize in English Composition

First Prize: Cydney Jhenelle Hunt ’26, “Anti-Black Racism & Police Brutality: The Sociology Behind Modern-Day Lynchings”
Second Prize: Hannah L. Lorenzo ’24, “Filipina Nurses and Caregivers: Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Migrant Employment”

The Academy of American Poets Prize
Gemma L. Feltovich ’25, “Catching a Gecko: On Possession“

The Ruel Crompton Tuttle Prize
Ella M. Campopiano ’24
Naomi R. Dyer ’24

The Fred Pfeil Memorial Prize in Creative Writing
Orly Perez ’26, “An Open Letter In Case I Go Missing”

The John Curtis Underwood ’96 Memorial Prizes
First Prize: Gemma L. Feltovich ’25
Second Prize: Lillian G. McDonald ’26
Third Prize: Sadie Marion Zeiner-Morrish ’26

The John Dando Prize
Catherine Ann Doyle ’23
Destini D. Watson ’23

The Trinity Alumnus Prizes in Prose Fiction

First Prize: Bridget Aster Stark ’26, “Decent Young Men”
Second Prize: Paige Katherine Phillips ’24, “A Dark and Shiny Place”
Third Prize: Qihui Guo ’23, “A Sleepless Rainy Night”

The Elma H. Martin Book Prize
Isabelle I. Duval ’23

The Jan Cohn Senior Thesis Award
Alexandra Boursican

The Alumni Prize in English Composition

First Prize: Caroline Richards ’22, “Magic, Myth & Liminality in A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Second Prize: Catherine Ann Doyle ’23 “Motherhood, Identity, and Trauma in Beloved and ‘The Shawl-Rosa’”

The Jan Cohn Senior Thesis Award
Sara Lambert ’22, “How to constitute happily ever after: women, marriage, and constructions of gender in fairy tales

The Academy of American Poets Prize
Caroline Richards ’22, “The Cheetah”

The Ruel Crompton Tuttle Prize
Maciej Jan Pradziad ’23
Jillian Leigh Schuck ’23

The Fred Pfeil Memorial Prize in Creative Writing
Amodini Katoch ’22, “How to Talk to Your Past Lives”

The John Curtis Underwood ’96 Memorial Prizes in Poetry