The application window for the 2024 English Department Scholarships and Awards has closed. We extend our gratitude to all who submitted their applications.
List of 2025 Scholarship and Award Winners
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 most outstanding achievement as an English major, awarded to a full-time undergraduate English major with at least a 3.2 cumulative
GPA. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $2,562 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 or literature to the community in some way; organizing others to do these or other projects; etc. 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 toward tuition and fees.
- The Shari Kandell Scholarship for an undergraduate English major who is employed while pursuing his, her, or their studies. Preference is given to part-time students employed at least 20 hours per week. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $1,716 towards tuition and fees.
- The W. Leonard Newman Award for an English major who has shown excellence in writing about film. $250
- English Department Teacher Education Award for an outstanding undergraduate English major who has met all requirements for acceptance into the English Education Program. $300
- Bernard Fleischmann Memorial Award for an English major who has shown excellence in the study of the humanities. $150.
- 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. Recipient must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 or above.
- 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: a need-based award for outstanding undergraduate English majors or graduate students who have demonstrated financial need in terms of paying for tuition and other university student fees. The awarding of this scholarship is again based on academic achievement and financial need, with a student’s “need” being determined by the Montclair State Financial Aid Office and taking into account other scholarships and grants that the student may already be receiving from the university or other funding bodies. Graduating seniors are not eligible. Please note: students applying for the Kwiatek must have submitted a FAFSA form to financial aid before March 15th; see this page for details. Six awards available, each for up to $5,996 towards tuition and fees.
- The Janet Holt scholarship for a full-time student majoring in English who has at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA. Graduating seniors are not eligible. $980 towards tuition and fees.
Graduate Scholarships and Awards
- 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: a need-based award for outstanding undergraduate English majors or graduate students who have demonstrated financial need in terms of paying for tuition and other university student fees. The awarding of this scholarship is again based on academic achievement and financial need, with a student’s “need” being determined by the Montclair State Financial Aid Office and taking into account other scholarships and grants that the student may already be receiving from the university or other funding bodies. Graduating seniors are not eligible. Please note: students applying for the Kwiatek must have submitted a FAFSA form to financial aid before March 15th; see this page for details. Six awards available, each for up to $5,996 towards tuition and fees.
- 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 MA program. $3,470 towards tuition and fees.
- The Lawrence H. Conrad Memorial Scholarship for an outstanding graduate student writing a thesis in American Literature. Students must have 5 or more credits remaining in the MA program. $2,034 towards tuition and fees.
Four Creative Writing Awards (open to all Montclair State undergraduate and graduate students):
- The Johnny Muller Memorial Scholarship in Fiction: submit one story or excerpt from a longer piece (must be labeled as such), limited to 20 pages total, double-spaced. $1000
- The Tom Benediktsson Award for Poetry: submit a maximum of three poems. If you are submitting more than one poem, the limit is 60 lines per poem. If one long poem, the limit is 150 lines. $300
- The Carter Ross Flash Fiction Award: submit a single piece of fiction under 1,000 words, not including the title. It must be self-contained, not part of a larger work. $300
- The Minnie Max Award for Creative Nonfiction: submit one piece of nonfiction writing, limited to 20 pages total, double-spaced. $300