The Ostrom Awards for Expository Writing
Sophomore Prize
A $300.00 cash award to a second-year student showing excellence in critical writing in an intermediate literature course, English 180-290 (first year students are also eligible).
Junior Prize
A $300.00 cash award to a junior showing excellence in expository writing in an upper-level English course (300 and above).
Senior Prize
A $300.00 cash award to a senior showing excellence in expository writing in an upper-level English course (300 and above).
Requirements
Sophomore Prize
Two or three short essays, or a sustained essay of approximately ten pages.
Junior Prize
Two or three essays, or a sustained essay of approximately fifteen pages.
Senior Prize
Two or three essays, or a sustained essay of approximately fifteen pages.
Note: Winners may not receive more than one first-place prize of these expository writing awards (second- and third-place winners are eligible for future awards).
Creative Writing Awards
Poetry
A $300.00 cash prize for a superior collection of five to eight short poems, or one longer (two to four pages) and two or three shorter poems.
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction
A $300.00 cash prize for a superior entry of one or two short stories, or one or two chapters of a novel, or one story and one chapter of a novel; minimum length per story, 1000 words.
Non-fiction Prose
A $300.00 cash prize for a superior entry of creative non-fiction (two individual essays of a minimum of four pages each or a sustained essay.)
Note: For the above prizes, competition is open to any English major, minor, Creative Writing minor, or Wittenberg student currently enrolled in an English class.
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award
A $300.00 cash prize for the best cumulative portfolio of creative work by a junior or senior English major. This award may not be won by the same person more than once, but the winners of other writing awards may enter this competition. Entries may include creative writing (even if submitted for the genre awards), as well as critical essays, photographs or other art work, tapes of performances, and anything else that demonstrated imagination and quality.
Submission Requirements for 2025 Writing Awards:
SUBMISSIONS DUE APRIL 2025, Date TBD
- Attach your submission as a WORD DOCUMENT* to an email addressed to the English Department Chairperson with the category you're submitting your work for in the subject line.
- Please send a separate email for each submission.
- In the body of your submission email, include:
- Your full name
- Your Wittenberg ID number
- What category you are submitting the attached word document for
- Your anticipated graduation year
*If submitting for the Lester S. Crowl award, you may submit a .pdf, so long as your name does not appear on any of the contents. If you need help with this or have any questions, email department chair.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Students are not allowed to win first place in the same category twice. For example, if you win first place in the sophomore expository writing award, you can't win the junior or senior expository writing award.
Congratulations to our 2024 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Sophomore Prize: 1st Place - Allyson Gardner, 2nd Place - Clarissa Beard, 3rd Place - DeLaney Jordan
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Kristina Withem, 2nd Place - Christian Nicewaner, 3rd Place - Reagan Simpson
Senior Prize: 1st Place - Jo Perkins, 2nd Place - Jake Moore
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Jo Perkins, 2nd Place - Danny Bean, 3rd Place - DeLaney Jordan
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Jake Moore, 2nd Place - Hanna Stefanik, 3rd Place - Allyson Gardner
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Clarissa Beard, 2nd Place - Jo Perkins, 3rd Place - DeLaney Jordan
Playwriting/Screenwriting: 1st Place - Danny Bean
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Jake Moore
Congratulations to our 2023 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Sophomore Prize: 1st Place - DeLaney Jordan
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Kaleigh Dulin
Senior Prize: 1st Place - Bella Fiorito, 2nd Place - Tiana Hughes, 3rd Place - Zoe Hale
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Mya Wolfe '23, 2nd Place - Joanna Perkins '24, 3rd Place - DeLaney Jordan '26
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Kira Frieson '23, 2nd Place - Zoe Hale '23, 3rd Place - Kaleigh Dulin '24
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Joanna Perkins '24, 2nd Place - Danny Bean '24
Playwriting/Screenwriting: 1st Place - Kai Reeves '24, 2nd Place - Zoe Hale '23, 3rd Place - Danny Bean '24
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Joanna Perkins '24
Congratulations to our 2022 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Sophomore Prize: 1st Place - Danny Bean
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Tiana Hughes
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Lily Kerr-Jung '22, 2nd Place - Taylor Benford '22, 3rd Place - Zoe Hale '23
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Joanna Perkins '24, 2nd Place - Sadie Kurtzman '22, 3rd Place - Zoe Hale '23
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Lily Kerr-Jung '22, 2nd Place - Sadie Kurtzman '22, 3rd Place - Ben Rodell '22
Playwriting/Screenwriting: 1st Place - Sadie Kurtzman '22, 2nd Place - Oliver Gietzen '22, 3rd Place - Kaiti Wenzel '25
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Sadie Kurtzman '22
Congratulations to our 2021 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Sadie Kurtzman
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Emma Seibert '21, 2nd Place - Lance Lambert '22, 3rd Place - Jack Fobean '21
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Devland Culliver '23, 2nd Place - Manny Ramirez '21, 3rd Place - Mickey Toppins '22
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Sadie Kurtzman '22, 2nd Place - Jack Fobean '21, 3rd Place - Breann Webb '21
Playwriting/Screenwriting: 1st Place - Emily Randall '24, 2nd Place - Lance Lambert '22, 3rd Place - Mickey Toppins '22
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Breann Webb '21, Jack Fobean '21
Congratulations to our 2020 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Sophomore Prize: 1st Place - Cydnee Skaggs
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Katy Wetterstroem, 2nd Place - Bailey McPhail
Senior Prize: 1st Place - Sophie Reutter, 2nd Place - James Hagerman, 3rd Place - Megan Winters
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Reese Harper '20, 2nd Place - Sarah Hartman '21, 3rd Place - James Hagerman '20
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Sadie Kurtzman '22, 2nd Place - Bailey McPhail '21, 3rd Place - Carly Stang '21
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Megan Winters '20, 2nd Place - Samantha Reynolds '20, 3rd Place - Bailey McPhail '21
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Reese Harper '20
Congratulations to our 2019 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
English 101 Prize: 1st Place - Katie Slyh
Sophomore Prize: 1st Place - Breann Webb, 2nd Place - Aliza Johnson, 3rd Place - Emily Schinker
Junior Prize: 1st Place - Samantha Reynolds, 2nd Place - Clay Waidelich
Senior Prize: 1st Place - Kim Estenson, 2nd Place - Sierra Sanchez, 3rd Place - Victoria Ladipo
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: 1st Place - Nikki Howard '20, 2nd Place - Emily Schinker '21, 3rd Place - Reese Harper '20
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: 1st Place - Kim Estenson '19, 2nd Place - Jenny Larrick '20, 3rd Place - Emily Schinker '21
Non-Fiction Prose: 1st Place - Jenny Larrick '20, 2nd Place - Hannah Reynolds '19, 3rd Place - James Hagerman '20
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Tie for 1st Place - Sophie Reutter '20 & Sierra Sanchez '19, 3rd Place - Reese Harper '20
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Samantha Reynolds '20
Congratulations to our 2018 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Sophomore Prize: Reese Harper
Junior Prize: Jenn Ryan
Senior Prize: Jayne Stone
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: Daniel Malone '18
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: Jayne Stone '18
Non-Fiction Prose: Nikki Howard '20
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Morgan Beechey '18
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Jayne Stone '18
Congratulations to our 2017 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
English 101 Prize: Trevor Hoberty
Sophomore Prize: Anissa Dann
Senior Prize: Maria Symons
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: Chloe Burchett '17
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: Megan Winters '20
Non-Fiction Prose: Maria Symons '17
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Camila Quinones '17
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Camila Quinones '17
Congratulations to our 2016 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Junior Prize: Amanda Wampler
Senior Prize: Hannah Hunt
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: Keri Heath '16 & Jayne O'Zemko '18
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: Keri Heath '16
Non-Fiction Prose: Jayne O'Zemko '18
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Brooke Brauer '16
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Keri Heath '16
Congratulations to our 2015 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
Junior Prize: Carl Burgason
Senior Prize: Trevor Brown
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: Julie Cascino '15
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: Hannah Hunt '16
Non-Fiction Prose: Hannah Hunt '16
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Alina Simon '18
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Julie Cascino '15
Congratulations to our 2014 Literary Award Winners!
Ostrom Expository Awards:
English 101 Prize: Camila Quinones
Junior Prize: Savannah Fox
Senior Prize: Jonathan Drewsen
Creative Writing Awards:
Poetry: Kelsey Matson '14
The Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction: Adrienne Stout '14
Non-Fiction Prose: Megan Conkle '14
Playwriting/Screenwriting: Taylor Burmeister '14
The Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award: Adrienne Stout '14
The English Department congratulates its 2012-2013 award winning students!
Kaitlyn Chounet '13 - Alpha Lambda Delta Senior Award
Elizabeth Hastings '13 - Charles J. Ping Community Service Award. The Charles J. Ping Student Community Service Award is presented in recognition of outstanding leadership and ability to meet the needs of the community by working in partnership with members of the community. It recognizes the student's effort to create an organization to lead and to involve others. Ohio Campus Compact, a statewide membership organization that serves to promote community service initiatives at colleges and universities, sponsors this award.
Rebecca Price '13 - Alpha Lambda Delta Senior Award
Amy Stamon '13 - M. Alice Geiger Award, Alpha Lambda Delta Senior Award, Recognized Smith Scholar and Fulbright Scholar. Named for Wittenberg's first woman graduate, the M. Alice Geiger Award recognizes a senior woman for outstanding contributions to the campus in the areas of performing or literary arts, athletics, co-curricular leadership, new programming, special academic pursuit or through special representation at any time during her college career.
Eric Werner '13 - John F. Mitchell Award. The John F. Mitchell Award, honors the senior man who best represents the liberal arts tradition at Wittenberg. The award goes to a top student who is a positive force in academic, cultural and social aspects of the campus.