The English Department scholarships and awards application process is fully online. All scholarship and award application materials, including completed application forms and your essays, poems, or stories, must be uploaded electronically onto Canvas.
NOTE: If you are having trouble accessing the Canvas pages for individual awards, check your email inbox to see if you’ve received an invitation to join the Canvas Awards pages. If you haven’t, write for help to either of the Awards co-coordinators, Professor Lee Behlman or Professor Adam Rzepka. They can send you an invitation to join the Canvas group for the Scholarships and Awards.
To apply for an individual scholarship or award, just click on one of the links below. You will be taken to a Canvas page that contains an application form with instructions on how to apply and a place to upload your application materials. For a full list of the scholarships and awards on Canvas, go here.
Please review the FAQ on the scholarships and awards process before completing your application(s).
Please ALSO note: the creative writing awards (which are open to all Montclair State undergraduate or graduate students, not just English majors or English graduate students) are listed below the ones focused on critical essays, extracurricular activities, and overall performance in the English major / English M.A. program. Keep scrolling to the bottom to find the creative writing awards.
Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards
- The Frank G. and Nicole McGuire Scholarship for a full-time undergraduate English major with at least 3.2 cumulative GPA. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $2,749 towards tuition and fees.
- The Bessie Saslaw Solomon Memorial Scholarship for an English major who has shown a commitment to making a difference in the lives of people in the community. Possible activities could include, but are not limited to, tutoring those who cannot read or who are learning English as a second language; bringing the beauty of the English language to the community in some way; organizing others to do these or other projects. Particular consideration is given to students interested in teaching. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in the major. (If two students meet these criteria, the scholarship may be divided equally between them.) Graduating seniors are not eligible. $650 towards tuition and fees.
- The Shari Kandell Scholarship for one employed undergraduate English major with a minimum 3.0 GPA who demonstrates financial need in a personal statement. Preference is given to part-time students employed at least 20 hours per week. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $1,846 towards tuition and fees.
- The Janet Holt Award for an undergraduate English major with a GPA of 3.2 or above. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $1087 towards tuition and fees.
Four Creative Writing Awards:
1) The Johnny Muller Memorial Scholarship in Fiction. $1,000
2) The Tom Benediktsson Award for Poetry. $350
3) The English Department Flash Fiction Award. $350
4) Minnie Max Award for Creative Nonfiction. $350
- English Department Teacher Education Award for an outstanding undergraduate English Education student who has met all requirements for acceptance into the English Education Program. $300
- W. Bernard Fleischmann Memorial Award for an English major who has shown excellence in the study of the humanities. $154
- The Anthony Lovasco Shakespeare Award for an English major who has shown excellence in Shakespeare studies. $150
- Elizabeth Dean Eler Memorial Award for an outstanding essay by an undergraduate student focusing on poetry. $300. (This award was created by Barbara Eler in celebration of her mother, Elizabeth Dean Eler, a graduate of Montclair State in 1940, a dedicated high school teacher and poetry enthusiast.) Recipient must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 or above.
Scholarships and Awards for Undergraduates or Graduate Students
- The Murray Prosky Prize in Irish Literature for an outstanding paper on Irish literature written by an undergraduate or graduate student. $100
- The Vivien L. Kwiatek Scholarship for an outstanding undergraduate English major or graduate student. This scholarship is determined based on both a student’s academic achievement and financial need. Graduating seniors are eligible only if they will be completing their fifth year in the BA/MA program next year. Please note: students applying for the Kwiatek must have submitted a FAFSA form for this academic year (2025-2026). $5788 towards tuition and fees.
Graduate Scholarships and Awards
These awards are granted to students enrolled in the Montclair State University English M.A. program who are in the advanced stages of study but still have at least one semester of full-time enrollment remaining. (Winners may not be G.A.s with a tuition waiver for the same semester in which the award will be applied.)
Graduate students applying for one of these scholarships should submit a paper written for a graduate class in English at Montclair State, typed in MLA format, subject to the conditions described in question #11 of the FAQ Links to an external site., with cover sheet as described in the application form.
- The Mary Bondon Graduate Scholarship for an outstanding graduate student who intends to pursue a career in teaching English at the high school or college level. Students must have 8 or more credits remaining in the MA program. $3,510 towards tuition and fees.
- The Lawrence H. Conrad Memorial Scholarship for an outstanding student who is writing a thesis in American Literature. Students must have 5 or more credits remaining in the MA program. $2,056 towards tuition and fees.