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.
Below you will find all of Berkeley’s Prize contests. Please note the criteria of each contest before entering.
Note: Prize contest entries need to be submitted, via our online submission form before 4 p.m. on the contest deadline (listed on the chart below). See the General Rules for Competitive Prizes for complete submission information. Please click on the contest names below for specific details about each prize.
The 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.
Leslie Lipson Biography. The Leslie Lipson Program is endowed in memory of Professor Leslie Lipson, who taught political theory and comparative government at Berkeley for 33 years. As a professor, Lipson’s first love was the undergraduate curriculum, and undergraduate students twice selected him as the best teacher in the Department of Political Science. Berkeley honored Lipson in 1980 with the Berkeley Citation, for individuals of extraordinary achievement in their field who have given outstanding service to the campus. Lipson’s books include The Great Issues of Politics, which has been published in ten editions, translated into numerous foreign languages, and used in introductory political science courses across the country; and his seminal work, The Ethical Crises of Civilization, in which he analyzed the historical developments in world civilizations that have resulted in both better and worse ethical choices. “Humanistic values are the fundamental values of good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust, as carried out by individuals and societies in service of or against humanity” (Leslie Lipson).
Lipson Essay Prize
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. One component of the Leslie Lipson Program is the Lipson Essay Prize.
Eligible freshmen and sophomores are invited to submit an original, unpublished piece to the Lipson Essay Prize contest on one of the essay topics related to humanistic values. The essay topics for each year are selected by the Lipson Committee.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Lipson Essay Prize, students need to be freshmen or sophomores and have a minimum 3.5 grade-point average (GPA). Students from any field of study are welcome to apply. Essays will be reviewed by the Lipson Committee, and the committee may award prizes for all Scholarship Winners.
There currently exists a fundamental concern among political commentators across the board that in the context of the Presidential Election of 2024 democracy in America may be at a substantial risk of devolving into either an autocracy or a state of anarchy. In this regard, according to the “Democracy Index 2020” published by The Economist the United States in 2016 fell, in the ranking of democratic nations in the world, from “full democracy” status to the category of “flawed democracy.” In 2020 the United States was ranked #25 out of the 132 countries reflected in the Democracy Index. What are the main elements of the concern about democracy in America, and what can be done to restore America to the status of a “full democracy” in The Economist’s rankings? In your response please make reference to at least two other periods in history when democracy in America or in Europe has been under similar stress.
As famously stated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “You are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts .” Has “red” and “blue” tribalism in current American culture now made it difficult, or even impossible, for people of different parties and persuasions to agree on what is reality? You might wish to consider, for example, the decision of 40% or more of the American public to adopt during the 2020 presidential election cycle the alternative political, social, and economic realities voiced by President Donald Trump, such as his continuing claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. What dangers are created by such tribal conflicts, and how might they be resolved?
In 1919, in the aftermath of World War I, W. B. Yeats wrote his celebrated poem “The Second Coming.” The first stanza is as follows:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
What is the relevance of these lines to 2022, 100 years later, both for the United States and the world in general? Why do we seem increasingly to hold political and moral positions, based on passionate intensity rather than conviction, on which we are unwilling to compromise, such as in the debates over abortion rights and the right to vote?
What is the significance of a December 19, 2021 Washington Post/University of Maryland Poll to the effect that 34% of Americans believe that violence against the government may currently be warranted?
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-- lines from the poem by Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus,” engraved on a plaque placed inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1903
To what extent does the United States still hold true to the ideal expressed in this poem? Please include in your response a discussion of the immigration issues the nation faces in general with respect to persons from around the world wishing to emigrate to the United States. What can be done to resolve these issues in a manner that is consistent with this poem?
In our current public discourse, what is the best approach for addressing conflicts created by the proliferation of fake news and political propaganda on the one hand versus the preservation of free speech and a free press on the other?
Why are there widespread objections in the United States to mandatory vaccinations and the use of masks as a means to prevent the spread of infections arising from Covid? What do these objections signify about American culture?
Lipson Essay Prize Submission Process
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Prize Amounts
A $5,000 prize is awarded to students who submit winning essays on one of seven topics related to humanistic values.
Format
3,000 to 4,000 words; typed
12-point font; double-spaced with one-inch margins; numbered pages
Last 4 digits of your student identification (SID) number in top-right corner of every page
Submission
You may submit only one essay per calendar year
Your submission needs to be anonymous; please do not include your name. On the front of your manuscript, please write the following in the upper right corner:
Name of the contest
The last 4 digits of your student identification (SID) number
2019–20: Evan Juan, "The Obligation of a Human Right to Health"; Aditya Varma, "American E(conomics) X(clusion) C(hurch) E(xpansion) P(rogress) T(echnology)-ionalism"; Max Zhang, "Sleeping at the Wheel"
2018–19: Hannah Herrick, "The Persistence of Racism through Colorblindness"; Vedant Kajaria, "A Consummate Relationship with Anarchy"; Karen Lee, "Condemned to Condemn"; Tara Madhav "American Democracy, Racism and the State of Exception"; Kathleen Navas, "Psychological Basis and Modern Impact of Racism on Society"; Wyatt Singh, "The Second Coming: A Century Later, W.B. Yeats' Words Are Still Relevant"; Sharon Marie Vaz, "Yeats' Spiritus Mundi and its Relevance to 2019"; Leo Zlimen, "Our Own Phantom World" ($2000 each)
2017–18: David Olin, "The Spirit and the Machine", Nicholas Pingitore, "Wandering with Walden", Evan Schwartz, "Arguments for Disobeying Trump's order for a Preemptive Nuclear Strike: Echoes from the Nuremberg Tribunal", Talia Wenger, "How Artificial Intelligence Re-Ignites the Human Spirit" ($2000 each)
2016–17: Alexander Casendio, "Is democracy in general, as a form of government, currently broken on an international basis?"; Daniel Rosenthal,"What are the reasons for the cultural and political polarizations in the U.S. and what is its impact on humanistic values. Is this only a national trend, or is it an issue internationally?"; Thomas Lee Kadie,"The Licensing of Right-Wing Populism"
2015–16: 1st prize: Liya Nahusenay, "Islamophobia: A Detrimental Misnomer"; Neel Somani, "Contemporary Stereotyping: Exploring the Seduction of Bias"; 2nd prize: Nina Djukic, "A Rare Drought Rain"; Suleman Khan, "The Government That Cried Wolf: Refugees and National Security"; Olivia Maigret. "The Complicity of Religion in Terrorism"
2014–15: Carter Bryce Keeling, "The People's Climate March"; Ismael Farooqui, "The Invisible Hand: The results of wealth accumulation in a democracy"; Joprdan Hyatt-Miller, "The Logic of Violence"; James Rosenberg, "Legal Accountability for Torture: Preserving a Nation of Rights and Values"; Zijing Song, "One Oligarchy, Under God"
2013–14: Elizabeth Carroll, "A Nation of Suspects: Modern Surveillance and the Right to Privacy"; Wenyan He, "The Bilateral Nature of Ethics in Economic Inequality"; Taylor Madigan, "A Rawlsian Approach to Economic Inequality"; Sharada Narayan, "The Politics of Political Ethics"; Zijing Song, "The State of Obama's Union"
2012–13: Pierre Bourbonnais, "No Excuses for Lying"; Apruva Govande, "Emotional Bridges through Empathy"; Adithyavairavan Murali, "War on Terror: The Great Game of Education, Economics and Human Dignity"; Seth Victor, "The Lies and Unethical Nature of the War on Terror"
2011–12: Adam Susaneck, "How Party Stratification Leads to Duopoly as Ideology Establishing Elections as a Script Creating Not Deadlock, Livelock!"
2010–11: Ayden Parish, "Fundamentalism, Church and State"; Timothy Borjian, "The Problems with American Exceptionalism"
2009–10: Jasmine L. Segall, "Ethical Implications of Anonymous Methods of Modern Warfare"; Spreeha Debchaudhury, "We the People: A Colorful Portrayal"
2008–09: Alexander Setzepfandt, "Optimism: Breaking Free from the Unethical Behavior of Others"; Anirudh Narla, "The Triumph of Grey: The Importance of Indeterminacy and Complexity in Black and White"
2007–08: Danielle Rathje, "Fair Trade and Global Responsibility"; Keith Browner Brown, "Factoring in Humanity: The Failure of Population Control"
2006–07: Andrina Tran, "Varieties of Morality: William James, Pragmatism and Freedom "
2005–06: Erica Mu, "Dismantling Torture: An Examination of the United States at a Political and Ethical Crossroads"; Jillian Marks, "Torture: An Analysis of Its Evils"; Alexander H. Lau, "Revealing Racial Bias: A Case for Affirmative Action"
2004–05: Jacqueline Nader "The Greatest Danger of Our Time"; Yanpei Chen, "Morality and Political Discourse"; Charles Lin, "Avoiding a Tragedy: Reconciling International Interests in the Atmospheric Commons"
2003–04: No award given
2002–03: Jennifer Greenburg, "Women's Participation in Post-Apartheid Reform"; Sebastian Petty, "Back to the Land: Institutional Forms of Community Supported Agriculture"; Tina Sang, "Chinese Household Registration System"
2001–02: Susan Tche, "Effects of the New World Economy on Post-Embargo Vietnam"
2000–01: Cynthia Houng, "Sustainable Development? Towards a New Synthesis of Environment Ethics and Philosophy"; Joseph Kim, "Does Absentee Voting Have Anti-Social Effects on Voters?"; Pha Lo, "The Hmong of Laos: Cultural Perspectives on Implementing a Global Agenda"
Lipson Scholarship
The Lipson Scholarship, established in 2001, is a full, two-year scholarship of up to $10,000 per year and is available to eligible students who submit winning essays for the Lipson Essay Prize.
To receive the Lipson Scholarship, students must win the Lipson Essay Prize and be a freshman or sophomore when they apply, with a minimum of a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA). The Lipson Scholarship will fund the costs of the scholars’ sophomore and junior years at UC Berkeley for those who apply as freshmen, and the costs of the scholars’ junior and senior years for those who apply as sophomores, based on their financial need as determined by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. Students who are Regents’ or Chancellor’s Scholars without financial need will receive a $1,000 honorary award in addition to the prize.
Scholars are expected to pursue at least two courses or seminars related to humanistic values, such as courses in the fields of ethics, political theory, history, sociology, or public policy, during the two-year period covered by the scholarship, under the guidance of their faculty mentors or advisors. In addition, scholars interested in enrolling in a Berkeley Summer Sessions course related to humanistic values may submit a request for Lipson funding for the course; please contact the Prizes and Honors Coordinator for more information.
Lipson Research Grant
The third component of the Lipson Program, which is optional, is the Lipson Research Grant (established in 2001).
Lipson Scholars who wish to do research in greater depth have the opportunity to apply for funds to support their own original research project. Scholars will undertake such projects during the summer. Scholars selected for the Lipson Research Grant will receive a $5,000 stipend for summer living expenses so that they may devote their time to their summer research project; an additional $250 will be awarded in the fall semester after the scholar submits a paper about his or her summer project. Lipson Research Grant recipients may decide to develop the paper further into an honors thesis, or even a graduate-level dissertation. Projects must relate to humanistic values and their implementation, and might, for example, address such topics as human rights issues, bio-ethics, the impact on developing societies of global capitalism, or environmental concerns in the 21st century. Students will receive further details about this research opportunity following their selection as Lipson Scholars. While the Lipson Research Grant is optional, it is an important part of the Lipson Program.
The Richardson Latin Translation Prize is open to all UC Berkeley students. A first-place prize and second-place prize are awarded for the best translation of classical English into Ciceronian Latin.
History of the Prize: The Richardson Latin Translation Prize was established through the will of George Morey Richardson of Berkeley, dated May 16, 1896: “I give and devise to The Regents of the University of California, two lots or parcels of land, situated in Highland Trust, Oakland Township, Alameda County, State of California, to expend the income there or from the proceeds thereof, when sold, for an annual prize known as the ‘Richardson Latin Translation Prize,’ to be awarded to undergraduates (later to include graduate students) of the University of California for the best translation of classical English into Ciceronian Latin.” The prize was established in 1896.
The Jeanne P. Steager Memorial Prize in Folklore is open to all UC Berkeley students of any department. This prize is awarded annually to a student who has made an outstanding contribution in folklore during the academic year.
The nature of the entry is not restricted; it may include papers based on library research, or field projects. Criteria for selection will include originality, excellence, and importance to the field of folklore. Graduate and undergraduate students may submit entries.
History of the Prize: A letter to Joseph R. Mixer from William G. Lockwood and William R. Bascom, Chairman of the Executive Committee Folklore Program, dated April 11, 1966, reads as follows: “Classmates and friends of the late Jeanne P. Steager have contributed funds to establish an award as a memorial to her—the Jeanne P. Steager Memorial Prize in Folklore. This is to consist of an annual prize of $50 taken from the income and principal of the collected funds submitted herewith and awarded to a student who has made an outstanding contribution in folklore during the academic year. It is our hope to ensure a perpetual prize in her name.” The prize was established in 1966.
The Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science is awarded for the best essay encompassing some aspect of politics other than international relations.
The prize is open to both graduates and undergraduates.
History of the Prize: Philo Sherman Bennett’s 1905 will stated: “I give and bequeath to Wm. J. Bryan of Lincoln the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), in trust, however, to pay to twenty-five colleges or universities, to be selected by him, the sum of four hundred ($400.00) each, said sum of four hundred dollars ($400.00) to be invested by each college receiving the same and the annual proceeds used for a prize for the best essay discussing the principal of free government.”
The Regents Minutes of August 8, 1905 recite the following: “Mr. Wm. Jennings Bryan informed the University that he was glad to leave the decision by the college authorities the details of the Bennett Essay Prize…”
Previous Philo Sherman Bennett Prize in Political Science Winners
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2019–20: Shterna Friedman and Julia Goddard ($2250 each)
2018–19: Shterna Friedman ($4500)
2017–18: Kristin Zuhone ($1000)
2016–17: No prize awarded
2015–16: Jeremy Cynamon ($1,000)
2014–15: Jeremy Cynamon ($1,000)
2013–14: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin ($1,000)
2012–13: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin ($1,000)
2011–12: Jeremy Pilaar ($1,000)
2010–11: Sang-Hwa Sara Lee and Alyssa Beltran ($500 each)
2009–10: Huan Gao and Mikhail Guttentag ($500 each)
2008–09: Daniel Katz ($1,000)
2007–08: Daniel Katz ($1,000 )
2006–07: Nan Zhang ($1,000)
2005–06: Caitlin Rose Fox-Hodess ($1,000)
2004–05: Caitlin Rose Fox-Hodess ($1,000)
2003–04: No award given
2002–03: No award given
2001–02: Anthony Chen ($1,000)
2000–01: Tony Chen ($2,000)
1999–00: Robert S. Taylor ($1,500)
1998–99: Daniel Ho ($1,000)
1997–98: James Abrams ($1,000)
The Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations is awarded for the best essay dealing with some aspect of international relations.
A minimum of 4,000 words is required with a maximum word limit of 5,000 words. Open to undergraduates only.
History of the Prize: From the Regents’ Minutes of October 10, 1933: “Mr. Owen D. Young delivered the Charter Day Address in Berkeley on March 24, 1930, returned to the Regents his honorarium as such speaker and in addition donated the sum of $250. This was intended to be used for three prizes … to undergraduate students registered in the colleges at Berkeley … who offered the best three essays on the topic, ‘What can a college student do to further good understanding among the nations and thereby promote peace?’ Mr. Young, on June 2, 1931, [amended] the conditions of this … contest, [whereby] the remainder of his donation, to wit, $900, be set up as a permanent fund, the income therefrom to be devoted to an annual prize for the best essay on some aspect of international relations. The Committee on Prizes is authorized to change the topic of the essay from time to time as they may see fit to do so.” The Owen D. Young Prize was established in 1958.
Previous Owen D. Young Prize in International Relations Winners
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2019–20: Rosemary Yin ($1500)
2018–19: Will Alexander and Kevin Klyman ($700 each)
2017–18: 1st prize: Sarah O'Farrell ($700); 2nd prize: Justin DesRochers and Janani Mohan ($350 each)
2016–17: Suleman Khan ($1,000)
2015–16: Madison Chapman and William Michael Morrow ($750 each)
2014–15: Cameron Silverberg ($1,500)
2013–14: Caroline McCloskey ($1,500)
2012–13: Michelle Chern ($1,500)
2011–12: Maya Yizhaky ($1,500)
2010–11: Lauren Benichou ($1,500)
2009–10: Kenneth Tsang ($1,500)
2008–09: Timothy Barry ($1,500)
2007–08: No award given
2006–07: Ben Narodick ($1,200)
2005–06: Helen Hsueh ($1,200)
2004–05: No award given
2003–04: Miya Keren ($500)
2002–03: Jeff Lindemyer ($500)
2001–02: Albert Ofrecio ($500)
2000–01: No award given
1999–00: Daniel Ho ($500)
1998–99: Christopher Maier ($500)
1997–98: No entries received
The Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate for the best translation of classical English into an appropriate classical Greek style.
Appropriate styles include those of Plato and of the classical Attic orators, but other styles appropriate to the content are not excluded, such as the style of Herodotus, or even verse composition. The selection will normally be formal English prose and will be 350 to 500 words in length.
History of the Prize: The Rosenmeyer Prize was established in 1995.
Previous Thomas G. Rosenmeyer Greek Translation Prize Winners
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2019–20: Joshua Benjamins and Daniel Squire ($1,500)
2018–19: Daniel Squire ($2,500)
2017–18: Daniel Squire ($1,000)
2016–17: Daniel Squire ($1,400)
2015–16: Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($1,000)
2014–15: 1st prize: Tom Recht ($750); 2nd prize: Michael Zellman-Rohrer ($250)
2013–14: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)
2012–13: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)
2011–12: Tom Recht ($700); Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($300)
2010–11: Tom Recht and Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ($500 each)
2009–10: Tom Recht ($1,000)
2008–09: Boris Rodin ($750); Honorable Mention: Joel Street ($250)
2007–08: Nardini Pandey ($500)
2006–07: Boris Rodin Maslov ($500)
2005–06: Boris Rodin Maslov ($500)
2004–05: Boris Rodin ($500)
2003–04: William Michael Short ($500)
2002–03: Jon Christopher Geissmann ($500)
2001–02: W. H. Shearin ($500)
2000–01: Dylan Sailor ($500)
1999–00: Dylan Sailor ($500)
1998–99: Dylan Sailor ($500)
1997–98: Dylan Sailor ($500)
The Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry will be awarded for composition of the best original unpublished lyric poem. Each entrant may submit only one poem; the length should not exceed thirty lines. A lyric poem is a poem that sings. It is usually quite short. When the poem is read aloud, it should inspire and delight by its heartfelt thought and feeling and the beauty of its language.
History of the Prize
When Dorothy Rosenberg died, her husband, Professor Marvin Rosenberg, established a fund to award this prize in her name.
Examples of Lyric Poetry by Dorothy Rosenberg
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The following lyric poetry was written by Dorothy Rosenberg. For additional examples of Dorothy Rosenberg's lyric poetry, historical background, and information on the Dorothy Rosenberg poetry prizes, please visit www.dorothyprizes.org.
RECOGNITION
There are some
secret places of the
heart no one else
knows, where I
can go apart.
How was it
love that one day I
found you before
me in the place
that no one knew.
SOFTLY
When you give me your love, you
put a mystery into my hands. I
take it in that spirit, and wait
Like a blind child I saw holding
up a quiet folded dove; she
was feeling it with her cheek.
And one could guess what wonders
she would find: that she would
see it better - being blind.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize's deadline.
Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes.
Previous Dorothy Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Lyric Poetry Winners
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2019–20: Yujane Chen and Aurelia Cojocaru ($3000)
2018–19: Lydia Liu ($3000)
2017–18: Selden Cummings, Nina Djukic, Anthony Tucci-Berube, Claire Marie Stancek, Jennifer Lorden ($1040)
2016–17: Julie Lee, Kaisle Hill, Brianna Alleyne, Katrina Hall, undergraduate winners; Evan Klavon, graduate winner ($840 each)
2015–16: Alani Hicks-Bartlett ($1,000); Evan Bauer, Raj Bhargava, Ismael Farooqui, Carter Bryce Keeling, and Alan Xu ($800 each)
2014–15: Christopher Miller and Mary Wilson, graduate winners ($1,000 each); Lillian Berger, Andrew David King, and S. Carlota Salvador Megias, undergraduate winners ($1,000 each)
2013–14: Jane Gregory, graduate winner ($2,000); Andrew David King, undergraduate winner ($2,000)
2012–13: Rachel Trocchio, graduate winner ($850); Laura Ferris, Andrew David King, Larry Narron, and Claire Tuna, undergraduate winners ($850 each)
2011–12: Samuel Garrett Zeitlin, graduate winner ($2,400); Bryce Thronburg, undergraduate winner ($2,400)
2010–11: Jane Gregory, graduate winner ($1,600); Taylor Hickok and Kayla Krut, undergraduate winners ($1,600 each)
2009–10: Gillian Osborne, graduate winner ($1,000); 1st prize, undergraduate: Anna Reeser ($2,000), 2nd prize, undergraduate: Steven Lance ($1,500), 3rd prize, undergraduate: Emma Tome ($1,000), Honorable Mention: Teresa Jimenez ($500)
2008–09: Matthew Melnicki and Alani Hicks-Bartlett graduate winners ($2,000 each); 1st prize, undergraduate: Steven Lance ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Joe Cadora ($1,000)
2007–08: Kate Klonowski and Matthew Melnicki ($2,000 each)
2006–07: Colin Dingler, graduate winner ($2,000); James May, undergraduate winner ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Marisa Libbon
2005–06: Michael Nicholson and Elizabeth Young ($1,000 each); Honorable Mention: Diana Y. Chien
2004–05: Edgar Garcia ($500)
2003–04: Edgar Garcia ($200)
2002–03: Michael Heinrich ($200)
2001–02: Lily Dwyer ($100)
2000–01: Emily Beall ($100)
1999–00: Mandy Kahn ($100)
1998–99: Caetlin Benson-Allott ($100)
1997–98: Kimberly Johnson ($100)
Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition
The Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition is awarded for excellence of composition in poetry, story writing, drama, or another field of literary composition. Judging is based on excellence of composition. Open to all graduate and undergraduate students.
History of the Prize
This fund was accepted by the Regents on August 13, 1929. The Corpus thereof, in the amount of $3,000, was, by Judge George E. Crothers, pursuant to an agreement dated October 13, 1921, between Judge Crothers and the late Maria Elizabeth Mills, transferred to Mrs. Mills for the support of a fellowship in music in Mills College. This agreement provided that upon the death of Mrs. Mills the fund should pass to the Regents to support the Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition at the University of California.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
Previous Elizabeth Mills Crothers Prize in Literary Composition Winners
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2019–20: Lucy Eaton ($1000); Mary Mussman, Noah Warren, Sabrina Jaszi ($650)
2018–19: Clara Jimenez, Mary Mussman, Tessa Rissacher, Noah Warren ($750 each)
2017–18: 1st Prize: Mary Wilson ($2000); 2nd Prize: Evan Bauer, Selden Cummings, Nina Djukic, Zachary Kiebach($800)
2016–17: 1st prize: Rosetta Young ($600); 2nd prize: Jesslyn Whittell ($400); 3rd prize: Shelby Gregg ($300); Finalists: Sheryl Barbera and Khamillah Zimmer ($250 each); Honorable Mention: Mary Wilson, Laura Ferris, Hannah Ling, Julia Apffel, Evan Bauer, Sean Dennison, and Balark Mallik ($100 each)
2015–16: 1st prize: Carter Bryce Keeling ($2,000); 2nd prize: Claire Marie Stancek ($1,000); 3rd prize: Rachel King ($1,000); Finalists: Roxanne Forbes, Griffin Morin-Tornheim, Leah Tyus, and Anthony Williams ($250 each)
2014–15: 1st prize: Andrew David ($2,500); 2nd prize: Stanford Shoor ($500); 3rd prize: Rachel Trocchio ($500); 4th prize: Mary Wilson ($500)
2013–14: 1st prize: Ismail Muhammad ($1,500); 2nd prize: Manjing Zhang ($1,000); 3rd prize: Jessica Cox ($750); 4th prize: Tara Fatemi ($500); 5th prize: Michael A. Shaw ($250)
2012–13: Allison Berke, Cora Bernard, Myles Parker Osborne, Kayla Krut, and Eli Wirtschafter ($800 each)
2011–12: 1st prize: Gabriel Thibodeau ($1,500); 2nd prize: Kayla Krut ($1,000); 3rd prize: Yi (Jenny) Xie and Zoe Pollak ($750 each)
2010–11: Kelsa Trom and Tom Recht ($150 each)
2009–10: Faith Gardner, Angelene Smith, David Krolikoski, and Natalie Tsang ($800 each)
2008–09: Mia You ($600); Angelene Smith, Jennifer Reimer, Thomas Gamburg and Natalie Tsang ($350 each)
2007–08: Joseph Cadora, Jude Dizon, Adrienne Johnson and Nalini Rae G Sareen ($250 each)
2006–07: Martine Charnow, Zachary Tomaszewski, and Sara Lahue ($300 each)
2005–06: Geoffrey Greer ($500); Joseph Scalici, Jacqueline Palhegy, Keleigh Friedrich, Trevor Adrian, Emi Ikkanda ($150 each)
2004–05: Jacqueline Palhegy ($500); Leslie MacMillan, Erica Kidder Jensen and Edgar Garcia ($150 each)
2003–04: 1st prize: Bernice Santiago and Katherine Willett ($350 each); 2nd prize: Brandelyn Castine ($200); 3rd prize: Roger Porter ($100)
2002–03: Winners for poetry: Ellen Samuels ($250), Rachel Teukolsky ($175), Laura Wetherington ($175); Winners for Prose: James Ramey ($250), Maria Elena Howard ($150)
2001–02: Jennifer Hasa and Soyoung Jung ($1,000 each)
2000–01: Jennifer Ahn and Karen Lee ($1,000 each)
1999–00: 1st prize: Azin Arefi-Anbarani and Matthew Gleeson ($900 each)
1998–99: 1st prize: Bruce Maritano, Benjamin Russack, Caleb Smith, Frank B. Wilderson III, and Lin Zou ($300 each)
1997–98: 1st prize: Jennifer Stroud ($500); 2nd prize: Asali Solomon ($300); 3rd prize: Bryce Maritano ($200); runner-up: Michael Holt and Yuval Sharon ($100 each)
1996–97: 1st prize: Caleb Smith ($400); 2nd prize: Anh Bui ($200); 3rd prize: Asali Solomon and Julia Cho ($175 each); 4th prize: Ola Metwally ($150)
1995–96: 1st prize: Judy Kemelman ($300); 2nd prize: Amy Graff and Karin Spirn ($250 each); 3rd prize: Viet Nguyen and Hamilton Tran ($200 each); 4th prize: Philip Huynh and Bryan Malessa ($150 each)
1994–95: 1st prize: Cynthia Lin ($500); 2nd prize: Elizabeth Scarboro and Karin Spirn ($350 each); 3rd prize: Lysley Tenorio, Lyn Dilorio, and Jack Wooster ($200 each); 4th prize: Cat Dale and Jessica Hahn ($100 each)
The Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry is awarded for the most outstanding single unpublished poem.
Both graduate and undergraduate students are free to write up to 26 lines in length, in any meter, and upon any subject. Up to four winners may be chosen at the judge’s discretion.
History of the Prize
Yale University Professor Albert S. Cook, formerly on the UC Berkeley faculty, endowed this prize with $1,000. As noted in the August 10, 1909, minutes of the Regents of the University of California, Professor Cook specified that “it is highly desirable” that the prize be awarded “for a poem which reflects honor upon the University, when viewed in the light of the best precedents furnished by England and this country.” Professor Cook further specified that “the University shall be free at any time to reprint the poem as it may choose.”
The Joan Lee Yang Memorial Poetry Prize is awarded for the best poem.
Both graduate and undergraduate students may apply.
History of the Prize
The Joan Lee Yang Memorial Poetry Prize was established in memory of Joan Lee Yang, who was a sophomore at UC Berkeley when she was killed in San Francisco while returning home from a bicycle ride in Golden Gate Park on Easter Sunday in 1969. A member of Mensa and Who’s Who of American High School Students in 1967-68, she was brilliant yet extremely modest. She loved music, mathematics, and cooking, and had developed a fierce love of poetry. Ms. Yang believed in nonviolence and advocated peaceful means of resolving disputes. In support of the Third World, she attended classes off-campus. Only 18 when she died, she lives forever in the hearts of her parents and sisters, her friends, and her teachers whom she trusted and respected affectionately.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
Previous Joan Lee Yang Memorial Poetry Prize Winners
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2019–20: Hannah Piette and Kevin Lo ($700)
2018–19: Jessica Laser, Mary Wilson, Sonnet Phelps, Alyssa Tran ($400)
2017–18: Nina Djukic, Beth Hightower, Evan Klavon, Yasmin Golan ($400)
2016–17: Rosetta Young and Evan Klavon, graduate winners ($250 each); Carter Keeling ($400), Jesslyn Whittell and Evan Bauer, undergraduate winners ($250 each)
2015–16: Taylor Altman, graduate winner ($525); Evan Bauer, David A. Hernandez, and Jesslyn Whittell, undergraduate winners ($525 each)
2014–15: David Hernandez, Andrew David King, and Claire Stancek ($1,000 each)
2013–14: Irina Popescu, graduate winner ($750); Jessica Cox, Andrew David King, and Lisa Levin, undergraduate winners ($750 each)
2012–13: Rachel Trocchio, graduate winner ($750); Noor Al-Samarrai, Laura Ferris, and Andrew David King, undergraduate winners ($750 each)
2011–12: Colin Dingler, graduate winner ($500); Andrew David King, Bryce Thornburg, Kayla Krut, undergraduate winners ($500 each)
2010–11: Rachel Trocchio, graduate winner ($500); Jenny (Yi ) Xie, Andrew David King and Abram Coetsee, undergraduate winners ($500 each)
2009–10: Sohir Albgal, Kayla Krut, Gillian Osborne and Jared Sandusky-Alford ($375 each)
2008–09: Steven Lance and Gillian Osborne ($750 each)
2007–08: Beatrix Chan and Sam Pittman ($250 each)
2006–07: Hillary Gravendyk, graduate winner ($250); Pablo Lopez, undergraduate winner ($250)
2005–06: Elizabeth Marie Young and Julie Carr ($250 each)
2004–05: Jennifer Scappettone ($200), Matthew Werner and Harmony Holiday ($150 each)
2003–04: Elizabeth Marie Young ($500)
2002–03: Trane DeVore ($500)
2001–02: Warren Liu ($500)
2000–01: Dana Stevens ($500), John Rauschenberg ($300), Nadia Nurhussein ($200) Ellen Samuels ($200)
1999–00: Jasmine Donahaye ($300); Jessica Fisher and Ellen Samuels ($200 each); Sandra Lim, Sarah Liu and Mandy Kahn ($100 each)
1998–99: Kimberly Johnson, Sandra Lim, and Dana Stevens ($400 each)
1997–98: Sandra Lim and Damion Searls ($375 each); Nadia Nurhussein ($150)
The Shrout Short Story Prize is awarded for the best short story by a graduate or undergraduate student at UC Berkeley.
History of the Prize
From the Regents’ Minutes, February 9, 1940: “The will of Julia Keith Shrout, a resident of Santa Clara County, California, contained the following bequest: ‘I intrust my lots 25 and 26 Inner Harbor Richmond to Ethyl Nugent for a memorial fund . . . to be used as the prize . . . each year for the best short story by any University of California student. The lots not to be sold until they bring twenty-five hundred dollars. The memorial fund to be the Oliver Porter Shrout, Morrison Earl Shrout, and Julia Keith Shrout fund.'”
The Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition is awarded for the best original completed musical composition.
The prize competition is open to both graduate and undergraduate students of any major. The composition is required to be a piece composed during your matriculation at UC Berkeley. Submit a score and, if possible, a recording of the composition. For music that is not notated (such as fixed media pieces, improvised performances, and so on), submit a recording with a note about the work and why it is not notated. All entries will be judged blind—your name should not appear on recordings or scores.
History of the Prize
The Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition was established in 1958.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
Previous Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition Winners
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2019–20: Hwa-Chan Yu, Maija Hynninen, James Stone, Curtis Dahn ($1125)
2018–19: Selim Goncu, James Stone, Clara Olivares, Jeremy Wexler, Maija Hynninen ($1000)
2017–18: Oren Boneh, Selim Goncu, Antonio Juan Marcos Cavazos, Trevor Van de Velde ($1000)
2016–17: 1st Prize: Lily Chen ($1,200); 2nd Prize: Scott Rubin,Selim Gonchu ($800); 3rd Prize: Kayla Cashetta ($700)
2015–16: 1st prize: Antonio Juan-Marcos Cavazos ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ursula Kwong-Brown, Jeremy Wexler, Hwa-Chan Yu, and Zhoushu Herakleitos Ziporyn ($500); 3rd prize: Kayla Cashetta, and Scott Rubin ($250)
2014–15: 1st prize: Amadeus Regucera ($2,500); 2nd prize: Lily Chen ($1,000)
2013–14: 1st prize: Lily Chen ($1,750); 2nd prize: Amadeus Regucera ($1,250); 3rd prize: Andrew V. Ly ($500)
2012–13: 1st prize: Matthew Schumaker ($3,000); 2nd prize: Thatchatham Silsupan ($1,000); 3rd prize: Jose Rafael Valle Gomes da Costa ($500)
2011–12: 1st prize: Javier Jimmy Lopez and Amadeus Regucera ($1,300 each); 2nd prize: Thatchatam Silsupan, Matthew Goodheart, and Sivan Eldar ($800 each)
2010–11: 1st prize: Javier Jimmy Lopez ($1,000); 2nd prize: David Coll, Robin Estrada, Jen Wang, Daniel Cullen ($750 each); 3rd prize: Nils Bultmann, Matt Schumaker ($500 each)
2009–10: 1st prize: Amadeus Regucera ($2,000); 2nd prize: Evelyn Ficarra and Heather Frasch ($1,200 each); 3rd prize: Gabrielle Angeles ($600)
2008–09: 1st prize: Matthew Goodheart ($2,000); 2nd prize Amadeus Regucera, David Coll and Robin Estrada ($1,000 each)
2007–08: 1st prize: Robert Yamasato and Heather Frasch ($2,000 each); 2nd prize: Jimmy Lopez ($1,000)
2006–07: 1st prize: Aaron Einbond, Robert Yamasato, and Mason Bates ($1,666 each)
2005–06: 1st prize: Mason Bates and Aaron Einbond ($2,500 each)
2004–05: 1st prize: Yiorgos Vassilandonakis and Mason Bates ($2,000 each); 2nd prize: Aaron Einbond ($1,000)
2003–04: 1st prize: Fernando Benadon ($750); 2nd prize: Jean Ahn, David Bithell and Brian Kane ($250 each)
2002–03: 1st prize: Reynold Tharp ($750) and Mason Bates ($750)
2001–02: 1st prize: Keeril Makan ($750); 2nd prize: Mason Bates, Brian Kane, and Philipp Blume ($250 each)
2000–01: No award given
1999–00: 1st prize: Brian Current ($700); 2nd prize: Fernando Benadon, Dmitri Tymoczko, and Michael Zbyszyriski ($600 each)
1998–99: 1st prize: Fernando Benadon, Brian Current, Keeril Makan, and Dmitri Tymoczko ($500 each)
1997–98: 1st prize: Eitan Steinberg ($800); 2nd prize: Keeril Makan ($700); 3rd prize: Reynold Tharp ($500)
In 1963, Samuel Marks established an endowment of $250,000 for the advancement of the arts on the Berkeley campus, in memory of his stepdaughter, Roselyn Schneider Eisner, an artist and sculptor. The Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Arts recommended the money be used to establish prizes in each of the Creative Arts.
Photo Imaging
The Eisner Prizes in Photo-Imaging are open to all UC Berkeley graduates and undergraduates of any major.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
Eisner Photo-Imaging Prize Rules
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Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes. Additional rules for the Eisner Photo-Imaging Prize contest are listed below.
You may submit 1 to 3 black-and-white or color images. Submissions must be anonymous. On the back of the images, include a label with the last four digits of your student ID number and the total number of photographic images you're entering (e.g., "1 of 3," "2 of 3," "3 of 3").
Only prints may be submitted; no slides or mixed media.
The minimum print size is 4" x 5" and the maximum is 16" x 20".
Images may be mounted and/or matted, but not in frames or contain glass.
Images may be produced by either "wet" (using chemical solutions) or "dry" (using a computer) methods.
Images must be submitted together in a single protective envelope or portfolio. (Please Note: Winning photos must be matted by the student prior to display in Wurster Hall.)
Submissions may show either a body of work or 3 photos exploring 3 different themes. Judges will look for the artistic dimensions of the photos presented, including the creative uses of color ( tone values if you are showing black and white prints), lighting, graphic composition and framing .
Film and Video
The Eisner Prizes in Film and Video contest is open to both graduates and undergraduates in any department.
One to three films may be submitted, but the judges will only view up to 30 minutes of film for each applicant.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors page for this prize’s deadline.
Eisner Film and Video Prize Rules
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Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes. The Eisner Film and Video Prize contest also has additional rules listed below.
Students can submit films as a Quicktime file on a flash/thumb drive or via a working URL on either Youtube or Vimeo.
The applicant must make sure the URL is open and working, and that the thumb drive is both PC and MAC compatible
You may submit 1 – 3 entries but are encouraged to submit only your best work. All film submissions must be in finished form, ready for public exhibition. Unfinished works or work-in-progress will not be considered. At least one submission must have been made during the period of your enrollment as a student on the Berkeley campus. Judges will not view more than 30 minutes of film or video. All submissions must be of the entire film, excerpts will not be accepted for consideration.
To be eligible, you need to be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program for at least one regular semester of the academic year (not including Summer Sessions). Filing for a degree does not constitute enrollment for that academic year. Visiting students are not eligible to apply for prizes. A previous winner of this contest may not enter the following year.
Film or video submissions must be labeled with the last four digits of the entrant's student ID (SID) number, the film's title, running time and the original format of the entry (16mm, VHS, URL, thumb drive file. etc.). Also, a brief (one paragraph, typewritten) film description should accompany the submission. The maker's name must not appear on the entry or on the film credits.
The Prizes Office, 210 Sproul Hall, will hold film and video entries for pickup until mid-May.
Poetry and Prose
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The Eisner Prizes in Poetry and Prose contests are open to all UC Berkeley graduates and undergraduates in any department.
Prose submissions may include novels, plays, or a collection of short stories. Prose submissions should be a substantial body of work with a representative 20–30 pages earmarked. Poetry submissions should be a collection of poems with a minimum of 25 pages to a maximum of 40 pages. Entries must be paginated, stapled and include a table of contents and a title page. This contest may contain submissions that have won in other contests in previous years. However, entries to these contests must consist of a majority of new work not having previously won in any campus contest or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
Please review the General Rules for Competitive Prizes.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize's deadline.
Previous Eisner Prize Winners
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2019–20: Poetry: Christian Nagler ($5000)
Prose: Elodie Townsend, Sabrina Jaszi ($2,500 each)
2018–19: Poetry: Dylan Cox and Mary Wilson ($5000 each)
Prose: No Prizes Awarded
2017–18: Poetry: Shonushka Sawant ($3000), Daniel Benjamin ($2000)
Prose: Clair Marie Stancek, Zackary Kiebach ($2,500 each)
2016–17: Poetry: 1st prize: Sahvanna Mazon ($3,000); 2nd prize: Shonushka Sawant ($2,000)
Prose: Zackary Kiebach ($2,000)
2015–16: Poetry: 1st prize: David A. Hernandez ($3,000); 2nd prize: Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton ($2,000)
Prose: Emma Rosenbaum ($2,000)
2014–15: Poetry: Christopher Patrick Miller and Claire Marie Stancek ($2,500 each)
Prose: Andrew David King and Natasha Von Kaenel ($2,500 each)
2013–14: Poetry: Kristopher Kersey, Julia Tianjiao Wang, and David Vandeloo ($2,000 each);
Prose: Andrew David King ($4,000)
2012–13: Poetry: Rebecca Gaydos, Andrew David King, and Ryan Tucker ($2,000 each);
Prose: Kelly Clancy and Rosetta Young ($2,000 each)
2011–12: Poetry: Christopher P. Miller and Yosefa Raz ($3,000 each);
Prose: Brian J. Loo and Leila Mansouri ($2,000 each)
2010–11: Poetry: Rachel Beck, Jane Gregory, S Christopher Miller, and Swati Rana ($2,500 each);
Prose: No award given
2009–10: Poetry: Steven Lance, Gillian Osborne, and Lynn Xu ($2,000 each);
Prose: Nina Estreich and Danica Li ($2,000 each)
2008–09: Poetry: Gillian Osborne and Lijia Xie ($3,000 each);
Prose: 11 entries; Joe Cadora ($4,000)
2007–08: Poetry: Hillary Gravendyk and Chad Vogler ($5,000 each);
Prose: 4 entries; No award given
2006–07: Poetry: Elizabeth Marie Young and Margaret Ronda ($2,500 each);
Prose: Melissa Fall ($5,000)
2005–06: Poetry: Hilary Gravendyk Burrill ($6,000);
Prose: Elaine Castillo and Mark Massoud ($2,000 each)
2004–05: Poetry: Margaret Ronda and Tung-Hui Hu ($2,500 each);
Prose: 1st prize: Neil Colin Satterlund ($3,000); 2nd prize: Katherine Ann Willett ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Dorothy Couchman
2003–04: Poetry: 1st prize: Jennifer Scappetone ($3,000); 2nd prize: Lynn Ziyu Xu ($2,000);
Prose: 1st prize: Elaine Castillo ($2,500); 2nd prize: Ellen Samuels ($2,500)
2002–03: Poetry: Timothy Wood, Julie Carr, and Warren Liu ($2,000 each);
Prose: Elaine Castillo and Frank B. Wildersn III ($2,000 each)
2001–02: Poetry: Jessica Fisher ($3,000) and Anne Walker ($2,000);
Prose: Yekaterina Kosova ($3,000) and Lucia Facone ($2,000)
2000–01: Poetry: 1st prize: Brian Glaser ($3,000); 2nd prize: Jennifer Scappettone ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Ellen Samuels;
Prose: 1st prize: Ann Simon ($3,000); 2nd prize: Yuval Sharon ($2,000); Honorable Mention: Jose Alaniz
1999–00: Poetry: Jessica Fisher, Nadia Nurhussein, and Anne F. Walker ($1,400 each);
Prose: Jose Alaniz and Karen A. Lee ($1,400 each)
1998–99: Poetry: Kim Johnson and Roxana Popescu ($2,333 each);
Prose: Damion Searls ($2,333)
1997–98: Poetry: Ola Metwally, Mathew Struthers, and Karen An-Hwei Lee ($2,333 each);
Prose: Chris Minter ($2,333)
The Academy of American Poets Prize is open to all students of UC Berkeley in any department. This prize is awarded for the best poem or group of poems.
Awards are for one winner and one honorable mention. No prize money is awarded to authors whose submissions receive honorable mention, but they will receive a certificate from the Academy. The names of winners will be published in the Academy’s newsletter.
History of the Prize
In 1979, Dr. Rae Ballard of Pasadena chose to sponsor The American Academy of Poets College Prize at Berkeley for several years as “The Galbraith Memorial Poetry Prize.” Dr. Ballard wrote, “I was a graduate student and teaching assistant [at Berkeley] many years ago, receiving my Master’s Degree in the early ‘fifties… My interest in the prize itself was because of its encouragement of young writers.” In 1996, The Academy, in conjunction with the New Hope Foundation for the Harold Taylor Fund, established a permanent endowment for The Academic of American Poets Prize at Berkeley. Harold Taylor, who died in 1993, was an avid reader of poetry, a devoted activist, and a progressive educator. His many years of service to these causes included time as president of Sarah Lawrence College, chairman of the Peace Research Institute and National Research Council on Peace Strategy, president of the American Ballet Theater, and coordinator for the Lenore Marshall/Nation Poetry Prize.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors page for this prize’s deadline.
Previous Academy of American Poets Prize Winners
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2019–20: Max Kaisler ($100)
2018–19: Lise Gaston ($100)
2017–18: Mary Wilson ($100); Honorable Mentions: Beth Hightower, Rachel King, Anthony Tucci-Berube
2016–17: Alex Walton ($100)
2015–16: David A. Hernandez ($100)
2014–15: Alexandra Kopel ($100)
2013–14: Alyssa Zhang ($100)
2012–13: Andrew David King ($100)
2011–12: Danni Gorden ($100)
2010–11: Kelsa Trom and Gillian Osborne ($50 each)
2009–10: Steven Lance and Joe Cadora ($50 each)
2008–09: Steven Lance and Jennifer Reimer ($50 each); Honorable Mention: Nancy E. Patten
2007–08: Johnny T. Hernandez, Jr. and Matt Melnicki ($50 each)
2006–07: Colin Dingler ($100)
2005–06: Joon Song ($100)
2004–05: Vivian Huang ($100)
2003–04: Abigail Goldman and Jennifer Evans ($50 each)
2002–03: Nicholas Lauridsen ($100); Honorable Mentions: Kimberly Johnson and Sarah Spath
2001–02: Casey Butterfield & Pepper Luboff ($50 each)
2000–01: Yasmin Golan ($100); Honorable Mentions: Jared Stanley and Dana Stevens
1999–00: Ellen Samuels ($100); Honorable Mentions: William Clark, Elisabeth Hillman
1998–99: Mandy Kahn ($100); Honorable Mentions: Dominic Ang, Margo Ponce
1997–98: M. Jennifer Markus ($100)
The Samuel C. Irving Prize for American Wit and Humor is awarded for the best anecdote, story, poem, drawing, or play illustrative of American wit and humor.
Both graduates and undergraduates may apply.
History of the Prize
The Regents’ Minutes of September 12, 1911, note acceptance of the following gift:
In a letter to the UC President Mr. Irving stated:
“Through you, I give to the University of California five bonds of the Bohemian Club, from the income of which I desire an annual prize to be awarded to a member of the student body for the best anecdote, story, poem or drawing illustrative of American wit and humor. I do this to encourage sunshine in our daily life.”
In a letter to the Chair of the Committee on Prizes, Samuel C. Irving’s son, Livingston G. Irving stated:
“It was with pleasure that I received your letter of 22 June, 1957 informing me that Mathew Palmer Mitchell was the winner of the Irving Prize for American Wit and Humor for 1956–57.”
“The origin of the prize was a somewhat facetious letter I had written my Dad, Samuel C. Irving, U.C. 1879, while he was attending the High Jinks at the Bohemian Grove on the Russian River in 1914. He read the letter to a group around the camp-fire in the evening and the inspiration for the prize was born.”
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors page for this prize’s deadline.
The Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies is awarded annually to two graduate and two undergraduate students for essays on research in any area of Jewish Studies.
Creative works are not eligible. The essays must have been written after the previous year’s submission deadline and must have been written while the authors are registered students in good standing at UC Berkeley. For those years in which one or more prizes are not awarded, the prize money shall be made available for prize augmentation or additional prizes in another year, as recommended by the judges. There may be no more than two winning submissions by a single student.
History of the Prize
The Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies was established in 1977 in memory of Benjamin Goor by his wife, Anne, to support programs and research in Jewish Studies. In 2005, upon the occasion of Anne’s death, the prize was renamed the Anne and Benjamin Goor Prize in Jewish Studies. Anne and Benjamin Goor were an integral part of the Jewish community in Phoenix, during and after World War II. During the war, their home was a kosher Shabbat and Passover haven for servicemen stationed at nearby bases. Anne was active in synagogue activities, B’nai B’rith Women, and Hadassah, serving as chapter president. She received many awards for her contributions to these organizations.
The Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize is awarded for the best unpublished poem or group of poems by an undergraduate student at University of California campuses, University of the Pacific, Mills College, Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and St. Mary’s College.
Each participating school may submit three entries to UC Berkeley to compete in the overall contest. For information regarding the submission instructions for other campuses, read Information for Other Participating Campuses below.
History of the Prize
On March 18, 1933, a fund of $1,000 contributed by various donors was offered to the Regents for a poetry prize in memory of Ina Coolbrith, Poet Laureate of the State of California. The Ina Coolbrith Memorial Fund was accepted by the Regents on May 11, 1933.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
About Ina Coolbrith
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Ina Donna Coolbrith (1841–1928)
Born Josephine Donna Smith, oldest daughter of Don Carlos and Agnes Coolbrith Smith, in Nauvoo, Illinois, March 10, 1841, she entered California through the Beckwourth Pass in a covered wagon train in 1852. Her first poems were published in the Los Angeles Times in 1854. After a brief and tragic marriage at 17, and the death of her child, she moved in the 1860s to San Francisco, where she worked as a journalist on the Overland Monthly. Later she was librarian of the Mechanics Institute Library and the Bohemian Club library, and was the first librarian of the Oakland Public Library. She lost her San Francisco home and all her possessions in the earthquake and fire of 1906. Through the generosity of the best-known California writers of the day, another home was built on Russian Hill, where she lived until the infirmities of age led her to share the home of her niece in Berkeley in 1923. She died there on February 29, 1928.
Ina Coolbrith received many honors, including Poet Laureate of the State of California. She was the first person asked to write a Commencement Ode for the University of California and the first woman member of San Francisco's Bohemian Club. In 1924, Mills College awarded her an honorary Master of Arts degree; as a young woman she had attended Mills, known at the time as Benicia College for Women. On the day of her funeral the Legislature adjourned in her memory and afterward named a 7,900-foot peak near Beckwourth Pass "Mount Ina Coolbrith."
Ina Coolbrith corresponded with Tennyson, Whittier, Longfellow, and Lowell, and was close friends with Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Gertrude Atherton, Joaquin Miller, Charles Warren Stoddard, and William Keith. Jack London called her his "literary mother." Isadora Duncan recalled in her memoirs "the beauty and fire of the poet's eyes."
At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 she was appointed President of the Congress of Authors and Journalists. At the Exposition a formal presentation of a laurel wreath was made to her by Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University of California, and the Board of Regents, with the title "loved, laurel-crowned poet of California."
Some of Ina Coolbrith's most powerful poems were written after her 80th birthday. Her published works include A Perfect Day and Other Poems, Songs from the Golden Gate, and the posthumously published Wings of Sunset.
Information for Other Participating Campuses
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Each participating campus may submit three entries selected from submissions on their campus. An entry may be a single poem or a group of poems. While the judging to select the overall contest winners rotates from campus to campus, each campus must first forward its entries to UC Berkeley by the contest deadline. The overall contest judge will receive the entries from Berkeley in early February and will be asked to select the contest winners by early March.
The poems need to be typewritten. Include the following information in the upper-right corner of each manuscript:
The last four digits of the student’s campus identification number
The name of the contest
Write entrant information on a separate sheet and include the following:
Name
Local address
Permanent address
Phone number
Email address
Last four digits of student’s campus identification number
Contest name
Title of poem(s)
Since manuscripts cannot be returned and may go astray in the mail, please retain a duplicate.
Winning manuscripts are filed in the University Archives at the Bancroft Library on the UC Berkeley campus.
Entries may be sent to:
Coordinator, Committee on Prizes
Undergraduate Scholarships, Prizes, and Honors
210 Sproul Hall #1964
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720
Questions:
prizes@berkeley.edu
(5l0) 642-6888
Previous Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize Winners
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2019–20: 1st prize: Anthony DiCarlo, UC Davis ($600); 2nd prize: Jessica Pham, UCLA ($400); 3rd prize: Rhiannon Wilson, UCLA ($100); Honorable Mention: Jona Peters, Mills College
2018–19: 1st prize: Maia Vicek, Miles College ($1250); Honorable Mentions: Avery Ardent, UC San Diego ($250); Amanda Vong, UC Santa Cruz ($250); Cu Fleshman, UC Irvine ($250)
2017–18: 1st prize: Riley O'Connell, Santa Clara University ($500); 2nd prize: Steffi Pressesky, UC Santa Cruz ($250); 3rd prize Monica Pereles, UC Merced ($250)
2016–17: Serena Balk, UC San Diego; Delphine Candland, UCLA; Kevin Alexander Perez, UC Santa Cruz ($300 each)
2015–16: 1st prize: Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton, UC Berkeley ($500); 2nd prize: Conor MacKenzie Kelly, UC Santa Cruz ($300); 3rd prize: Taelor Ramos, Mills College ($200)
2014–15: 1st prize: Christian Gella, UC San Diego ($1,100); 2nd prize: Katherine Duckworth, Mills College, Antony Fangary, UC Davis, Michelle Felmlee-Gartner, St. Mary's College, and Nilufal Karimi, UC San Diego ($100 each)
2013–14: 1st prize: Claire Bresnahan, Mills College, and Terry Taplin, St. Mary's College ($200 each); 2nd prize: Zoe Goldstein, UCLA, and Olivia Mertz, Mills College ($150 each); 3rd prize: Sabrina Barreto, Santa Clara University, Andrew David King, UC Berkeley, and Desmond Vanderfin, St. Mary's College ($100 each)
2012–13: 1st prize: Jacquelin Balderrama, UC Riverside ($400); 2nd prize: Laura Isabella Sylvan, Santa Clara University ($300); 3rd prize: Sabrina Barreto, Santa Clara University, Molly LaFleur, UC Santa Cruz; and Jacob Minasian, St. Mary's College ($100 each)
2011–12: 1st prize: John Liles, UCSD ($300); 2nd prize: Danni Gorden, UC Berkeley, and Ainsley Kelly, Santa Clara University ($200 each); 3rd prize: Andrew David King, UC Berkeley, Gabriel Malikian, UCLA, April Peletta, UCLA, and Kevin Zambrano, UCSB ($75 each)
2010–11: 1st prize: Nathan McClain, UCLA ($400); 2nd prize: Todd McClintock, UC Davis ($300); 3rd prize: Lynn Wang, UC Irvine and Kazumi Chin, UC Riverside, ($150 each); UC Berkeley winners: Kathryn Hindenlang and Christine Deakers
2009–10: 1st prize: Wesley Holtermann, UCSB ($400); 2nd prize: Katrina Kaplan, UC Berkeley, and Briony Gylgayton, UC Davis ($150) each; 3rd prize: Angela Eun Ji Koh, UCI, Isabelle Avila, UC Merced, and Jared Sandusky-Alford, UC Berkeley, ($100 each)
2008–09: 1st prize: Steven Lance, UC Berkeley ($400); 2nd prize: Esteban Ismael Alvarado, UC Riverside, and Marianna Tekosky, UCLA ($200 each); 3rd prize: Eden Orlando, UCSC, and Kevin Eldridge, UC Riverside, ($100 each)
2007–08: 1st prize: Katie Quarles, UCSC ($300); 2nd R. XiXi Hu, UCLA ($200)
2006–07: Julia Jackson, Mills College ($500)
2005–06: Athena Nilssen, UCLA and Crystal Reed, UCSB ($200 each); Honorable Mention: Renee K. Nelson, UCSC ($100)
2004–05: 1st prize: Jennifer Liou, UCI ($250); 2nd prize: Neil Ferron, Santa Clara University ($150); 3rd prize: Laura Mattingly, UCSC ($100)
2003–04: 1st prize: Jamie Michele Gill, UC Davis, and Laura Wetherington, UC Berkeley ($150 each); 2nd prize: Olivia Friedman, UC Berkeley, and Tina Sohaili, UCI ($100 each)
2002–03: 1st prize: Amaranth Borsuk, UCLA ($300); 2nd prize: Christina Ross, UC Irvine ($200)
2001–02: 1st prize: Kristen Holden, UCSC ($250); 2nd prize: Pepper Luboff, UC Berkeley ($150); 3rd prize: Yasmin Golan, UC Berkeley ($100)
2000–01: 1st prize: Hannah Love, Mills College ($300), 2nd prize: Elsie Rivas, Santa Clara University ($200), Allyson Seal and John Cross, UCLA ($50 each)
1999–00: Francesca Hersh, UCSC, Maggi Michel, UCLA, Aeryn Seto, UC Berkeley, Virginia Whitney Weigand, UC Davis ($100 each)
1998–99: 1st prize: Gareth S. Lee, Santa Clara University, ($250); 2nd prize: Kristen Robertson, Mills College ($150); 3rd prize: Jasmine Donahaye, UC Berkeley ($100)
1997–98: 1st prize: Emma Marxer, Mills College ($150); 2nd prize: E. Tracy Grinnell, Mills College ($100); 3rd prize: Ronald Laran, UC Davis, Lisa Visendi, St. Mary's, and Shannon Welch, UCSC ($50 each); Honorable Mention: Laura-Marie Taylor, UCSB
The Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize is awarded for the best essays of 500 words or fewer on a topic chosen by the Committee on Prizes.
The contest is open to students, faculty, and staff of the UC Berkeley campus of the University of California. Prizes awarded to faculty and staff are paid through the Berkeley payroll system and taxes are taken out of the disbursement.
Contest deadlines vary. Please check the Prizes and Honors home page for this prize’s deadline.
2021–22 Lili Fabili and Eric Hoffer Essay Topic
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Living in a Post-COVID World
History of the Lili Fabili and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize
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In a letter dated April 13, 1970, Eric Hoffer wrote to the Regents of the University of California: "I intend to give to the Berkeley campus of the University of California at least $10,000 in July 1970. The income of the fund shall be devoted to providing an annual prize or prizes for 500-word essays written by students, faculty, or staff at the Berkeley campus of the University. The sole criteria for the prizes shall be originality of thought and excellence in writing. This fund shall be known as the Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize." Hoffer felt very strongly that every idea could be expressed in a few words. Hoffer's own remarks follow:
Previous Lili Fabilli and Eric Hoffer Essay Prize Winners
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2019–20: 1st Prize: Rebecca Brunner and Marcelo Garzo ($2000 each); 2nd Prize: Jordan Diac Depasquale and Bryan K Jones ($1000 each); 3rd Prize: Luisa M. Giulianetti, Ryan Lackey, Isaac Engelberg and Laura Marostica ($500 each)
2008–09: Linda Finch-Hicks (staff), Jacob Mikanowski, Kofi Boakye, and Jeremy Suizo ($750 each)
Topic: Rock, Paper, Scissors
2007–08: Joseph Cadora, Jacob Mikanowski, and Xialou Ning ($1,000 each)
Topic: In Defense of Sloth
2006–07: Samuel E. Pittman ($1,500) and Xiaolu Ning ($1,500)
Topic: Whatever You Say, Say Nothing
2005–06: Karen Sullivan, Jacqueline Palhegyi, and Zachary Gordon ($1,000 each)
Topic: Looking Forward to Looking Back
2004–05: Erin Cooper, Lawrence Ruth (staff), and Sandra Wulff (staff) ($1,000 each)
Topic: What I'd Really Like to Do Is...
2003–04: 1st prize: Casey Dominguez ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ken Prola ($750); 3rd prize: Ana Martinez ($500); 4th prize: Sarang Dalal and Michele Rabkin ($375 each)
Topic: What Were They Thinking?
2002–03: 1st prize: Ana Martinez and Michael Rancer (staff) ($750 each); 2nd prize: Julie Rodriguez (staff) and Carol Wood (staff) ($500 each)
Topic: Self-Deception: Benefits and Consequences
2001–02: Eric Walton, Joanne Sandstrom (staff), Joseph Kim, Nellie Haddad (staff) ($750 each); Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Tran, Carol Wood (staff), Lynley Lys, and Karen Lam
Topic: If Only
2000–01: Zack Rogow ($1,000); Ken Chen, Cassandra Dunn, Zachary Gordon, and Pat Soberanis ($800 each)
Topic: Are Books Dead?
1999–00: Casey Knudsen ($1,000); Amanda Cundiff, Eric McGhee, Serban Nacu, and Sissel Waage ($500 each)
Topic: Networks
1998–99: 1st prize: Kathryn Renee Albe, Paul Klein, Joanne Palamountain, Sissel Waage, and Zack Rogow ($500 each)
Topic: Brushstrokes
1997–98: 1st prize: Virginia Matzek ($1,250); 2nd prize: Dominic Ang ($750)
Topic: Where There Is Light . . .
1996–97: Kathy Gether
Topic: Hello 2000
1995–96: 1st prize: Anna Moore (staff) and Maureen Morley (staff) ($1,000 each)
Topic: Fired With Enthusiasm
1994–95: 1st prize: Chris Haight (staff) and Reed Evans ($1,000 each)
Topics: A Moment's Notice and How Beautiful
1993–94: 1st prize: Roberto Landazuri ($1,000); 2nd prize: Ingrid Zommers and Jim Lake (staff) ($500 each)
Topic: What's Next?
1992–93: 1st prize: Steve Tillis, Letitia Carper (staff), David Krogh (staff), and David Schweidel (staff) ($250 each)
Topic: What an Original Idea!
1991–92: 1st prize: Christopher Galvin and Steve Tillis ($700 each); 2nd place: Celia Carlson and William Corley ($300 each)
Topic: What a Century!
1990–91: 1st prize: Michael Ditmore; 2nd prize: Daniel Lee; 3rd prize: Shirley Hodgkinson and Ramah Commanday
Topic: The Sin of Cain
1989–90: 1st prize: Tim Edwards; 2nd prize: Paul Jaminet, David Krogh, and Joanne Sandstrom
Topic: The Thankful/The Thankless
1988–89: 1st prize: Ramah Commanday; 2nd prize: Kathy Newman and George Huang
Topic: Smoldering Embers
1987–88: 1st prize: John Nebrhass, Kathy Newman, Anthony Robinson-While, and William Webber
Topic: Presidential Campaigns
1986–87: 1st prize: John Hatton; 2nd prize: Dave Erickson and Stuart Wald
Topic: Hair Shirts
1985–86: 1st prize: Charlotte Redemann; 2nd prize: Doris Lynch
Topic: Patterns
1984–85: 1st prize: Kirin Narayan; 2nd prize: Benjamin Watson; Honorable Mention: Christie McCarthy (staff), Carol Pitts, and Helen Workman (staff)
Topic: Pets and Animals
1983–84: 1st prize: Debra Cooper; 2nd prize: Donald Green; Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Anderson, Ann Elliott, Christine Feldhorn, Andrew Lunt, Ellen Nakashima, Thomas Simmons, Alan Stephen, and Monica Zorovich
Topic: California
1982–83: 1st prize: Richard Reinhardt; 2nd prize: Susan E. Bailey
Topic: Trees
1981–82: 1st prize: Lizbeth L. Hasse; 2nd prize: Barry Taxman. Essay prizes without a topic awarded to: 1st prize: Professor David Littlejohn; 2nd prize: Matthew M. Neal; Honorable Mention: Joanne Sandstrom and Jeffrey Norris Klink
Topic: Our Most Over-Valued Institution
1980–81: Christopher Rayner and Jennifer L. Walden ($250 each)
Topic: Should California Be Split into Two States?
1979–80: Richard Ogar ($500)
Topic: Should Public Laws Regulate Private Vice?
1978–79: No award given
Topic: Where Should Humankind Go Next?
1977–78: Paul Chernoff ($500)
Topic: In What Additional Field Should a Nobel Prize Be Awarded?
1976–77: S.M. Blair ($500)
Topic: Should There Be Olympic Games in the Future?
1975–76: Jeffrey Lewis Gold ($500)
Topic: What Image or Figure Redefining and Symbolizing the American Dream Can We Offer in 1976?
1974–75: S.M. Blair ($500)
Topic: What Is the Place of Grade Winning in an Education?
1973–74: Ingrid Maidel Krohn ($500)
Topic: How Do We Change Our Attitudes in the Face of Diminishing Natural Resources?
1972–73: John Thomas Gage ($500)
Topic: Is Zero Population Growth an Invasion of Privacy or a Collective Necessity?
1971–72: Leslie Morris Golden ($500)
Topics: F.S.M., People's Park, and Cambodia: Whither the Direction and What Are the Functions of the Contemporary University?
