Scholarships and Awards

The following scholarships and awards are given annually to majors in the Department of English. Applicants are judged on academic performance and outstanding writing achievement. Each award includes a cash prize. The awards are given at a reception hosted by the Department of English for graduating majors and their families.

The Margaret Haley Carpenter Award for Poetry

This award is presented to a student who has had an outstanding poem submitted for publication in the University of Richmond’s literary magazine, The Messenger. The winner is chosen by a panel of English faculty members.

The Margaret Owen Finck Award for Creative Writing

This award is presented to a student who has had outstanding creative work submitted for publication in the University of Richmond’s literary magazine, The Messenger. The winner is chosen by a panel of English faculty members.

The Thomas West Gregory Award

This award is named for a faculty member who, for many years, advised students seeking certification to teach English. Originally awarded to a graduate preparing for a career in teaching, the Gregory Award is presented to an English major who has demonstrated a special commitment to the tenets and advancement of the discipline, both at the University and in the larger world. The winner is chosen by the English faculty as a whole.

The Valerie Kay Hardy English Essay Award

This annual award, named in memory of a 2001 English alumna, is presented to the English major or minor who has written the best paper in an English course during the most recent academic year. According to her professors, Hardy exemplified the intellectual and moral force that students and faculty alike try to bring to their work. Her essays were serious and honest attempts to convey truth. The competition recognizes outstanding achievement in scholarly writing by an English major or minor, and the award, which comes with a cash prize, is made at the Department of English's end-of-year reception. Guidelines are available for both students and professors interested in nominating student essays.

The Charles T. Norman Award

This award (an engraved plaque) is presented to the outstanding senior University of Richmond English major, as determined by the English faculty as a whole.

The Margaret L. Ross Award

This award (an engraved plaque) is presented to the outstanding senior Westhampton College English major, as determined by the English faculty as a whole.