The Prizes Program at UC Berkeley (prizes@berkeley.edu) is an important forum for rewarding creative expression and scholarly achievement by Berkeley's finest students. Winners receive both recognition and a cash prize, which is coordinated with the winner's financial aid package. Prize competitions are open to students of any major. Successful, even prominent, artists and poets in our society found that winning an award at Berkeley was a pivotal experience in their artistic careers. Prizes are administered under the direction of the Academic Senate Committee on Prizes. Copies of the essays and poetry submissions chosen to receive prizes are archived at the Bancroft Library at the end of each year.
Honors at Berkeley are conferred upon qualified students for academic achievement or outstanding service. The University Medal and Departmental Citations carry this distinction.
See the General Rules for Competitive Prizes and Prize Entry Form for complete submission information. Please click on the contest names below for specific details about each prize.
| Category | Estimated Amount | Requirements | Deadline Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film / Video | |||
| Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Film and Video | $2,000 minimum | Create a film or video |
Academic Year 20-21: TBD |
| Folklore | |||
| Jeanne P. Steager Memorial Prize in Folklore | $50 - $100 | Demonstrate originality, excellence, and importance to the field of folklore | 12/4/20 |
| Greek / Latin Translation | |||
| George Morey Richardson Latin Translation Prize | $500 - $1,500 | Translate a classical English passage into Ciceronian Latin | 1/22/21 |
| Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize | $500 | Translate an English passage into classical Greek style | 1/22/21 |
| Jewish Studies | |||
| Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies | $1,000 - $2,000 | Write a research paper on any area of Jewish Studies. Student may win contest a maximum of two times | 1/22/21 |
| Music | |||
| Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition | $1,000 | Create a musical composition | 1/22/21 |
| Leslie Lipson Program | The Leslie Lipson Program at UC Berkeley is intended to encourage undergraduate students to study humanistic values and their practical application for individuals, societies, and states; the program consists of the Lipson Essay Prize, the Lipson Scholarship, and the Lipson Research Grant | ||
| Lipson Essay Prize | $2,000 | Write an essay on one of five topics selected by the Lipson Committee; applicants must be Freshmen or Sophomores with a minimum Berkeley 3.5 GPA | TBD |
| Lipson Scholarship | $10,000 maximum for two years | Must have won the Lipson Essay Prize | |
| Lipson Research Grant | up to $3,500 | Must be a Lipson Scholar | |
| Philosophy | |||
| Ferdinand Canning Scott Schiller Essay Prize in Philosophy | $200 | Write an essay on a specified topic relating to the work of F.C.S. Schiller (Awarded Biennially) | TBD-2022 |
| Photo-Imaging | |||
| Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Photo-Imaging | $2,000 minimum | Submit 1-3 photographs | TBD-Spring 2021 |
| Poetry | |||
| Academy of American Poets Prize | $100 | Write a poem or group of poems | 12/4/2020 |
| Emily Chamberlain Cook Prizes in Poetry | $100 - $800 | Write a poem | 12/4/2020 |
| Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize | $100 - $500 | Write a poem or group of poems; this is a multicampus contest open to undergraduates only | TBD-2022 |
| Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition | $500 - $700 | Write a story or play | 12/4/2020 |
| Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Poetry | $2,000 minimum | Create a collection of poetry | 12/4/2020 |
| Samuel C. Irving Prize for American Wit and Humor | $600 | Write an anecdote, story, poem, drawing, or play illustrative of American wit and humor | 12/4/2020 |
| Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry | $500 - $2,000 | Create a lyric poem | 12/4/2020 |
| Joan Lee Yang Memorial Poetry Prizes | $250 - $500 | Write a poem | 12/4/2020 |
| Political Science | |||
| Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science | $500-$3,000 | Write an essay encompassing some aspect of politics other than international relations | TBD-Spring 2021 |
| Florence Mason Palmer Memorial Prize | $1,000 - $3,000 | Write an essay dealing with some aspect of international relations; open to women undergraduates only | TBD- Spring 2021 |
| Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations | $1,400 | Write an essay dealing with some aspect of international relations; open to undergraduates only | TBD- Spring 2021 |
| Prose | |||
| Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition | $500 - $1000 | Write a story or play | 12/4/2020 |
| Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Prose | $2,000 | Create a prose submission consisting of a substantial volume of work | 12/4/2020 |
| Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize | $200-$1000 | Write an essay (500 words or less) on a topic determined by the Committee on Prizes | 12/4/2020 |
| Samuel C. Irving Prize for American Wit and Humor | $650 | Write an anecdote, story, poem, drawing, or play illustrative of American wit and humor | 12/4/2020 |
| Julia Keith Shrout Short Story Prize | $150 | Write a short story | 12/4/2020 |
| Additional Campus Prizes | |||
| Photography | |||
| Matthew M. Lyon Prize in Photography | $1,000 | Take five photographs on a single theme of your choice and write a short description. | TBD |
| Leadership | |||
| Jengyee Prize - Leadership for a Better World | $2,000 | Write an essay on a topic chosen by the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) Department in the College of Engineering. | TBD |
| Library Research | |||
|
Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize for Undergraduate Research |
$750 - $1,000 | Submit a paper that draws on the library's collection completed for an undergraduate level course (upper or lower division) along with a short essay about your research process. Submissions deadline TBD. |
|
|
The Carmel and Howard Friesen Prize in Oral History Research |
$500 | Write a paper for a UC Berkeley class that draws upon Oral History Center interviews. Papers can be in any discipline. We have thousands of interviews on almost any topic imaginable. Our professional interviewers can help you navigate our collection. The deadline for 2021 is May 14. |
5/14/2021 |
| Writing | |||
| Stephen K. Tollefson Prize for Creative Nonfiction | TBD | Submit a work of nonfiction after completing a qualifying writing course within the College of Letters and Sciences. |
TBD |
| Community Involvement | |||
| Kids First-David L. Kirp Prize |
$2,500 | Submit an application, a resume and an essay of up to 500 words describing their innovation and/or ongoing engagement. Submissions involving apps, models and pilot projects are welcome. All registered undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are eligible to apply. |
TBD |
| Research | |||
| Rita Ross Undergraduate Prize in Canadian Studies | $250 | The prize is awarded annually to the student who has written the best undergraduate research paper or produced the best original project that engages with topics, people or events related to Canada | TBD |