The English Department is soliciting submissions for the Department's writing awards, the Goodrich prize, which is divided into four categories, and the Harry Bloom Prize for Fiction Writing. Descriptions of each category are listed below. Though each prize is only $50 or $100 dollars, winning such an award looks good on your resume when applying for jobs or for graduate school. You can hand in your submissions to any English instructor, or bring them to the English Department Office in Netzer. You can submit more than one essay. Be sure to include complete contact information (e-mail, phone number). Also, you can submit papers from last Spring semester as well. The deadline is April 9, 2008.

a Laurence B. Goodrich Prize
The Goodrich Prize recognizes outstanding writing in four categories: personal essay, creative nonfiction essay, poem, and literary paper. Each prize winner will receive an award of $50.00.

@The Goodrich Personal Essay Prize for the best personal essay submitted during the academic year in COMP 100 and COMP 200. The maximum length is 1,500 words.

@The Goodrich Creative Nonfiction and Memoir Prize for the best creative nonfiction or memoir essay submitted during the academic year in COMP 150, COMP 211, COMP 270, and other appropriate courses. The maximum length is 2,000 words.

@The Goodrich Critical Essay Prize for the best essay in literary criticism submitted during the academic year. Submissions are encouraged from students in literature courses at level 200 and above. The minimum length is 2,000 words.

@The Goodrich Poetry Prize for the best poem submitted during the academic year. The maximum length is 50 lines.

a Harry Bloom Prize for Fiction Writing
In recognition of Professor Harry Bloom's long and exemplary service, his humane teaching, and his inspiring dedication to all facets of the craft of fiction, the English Department of the State University of New York's College at Oneonta established the Harry Bloom Prize for Fiction in 1997.

The prize, established by his colleagues as an expression of their affection and regard, consists of a $100 First Prize, and, when especially merited, a $50 Second Prize, awarded each spring at commencement for the best short story (or stories) submitted by an undergraduate student at the college during the preceding academic year. The maximum length is 3,000 words.

a Minnie P. Olive Award
The Minnie P. Olive Award is presented to the graduating senior who has demonstrated the most outstanding academic excellence in English. The Minnie P. Olive Scholar will receive an award of $100.00. The award is presented at the Commencement ceremonies in May.

a The English Department Academic Achievement Award
Each year, the English Department faculty as a whole meets to consider the academic records of our graduating seniors. Reviewing the scholarly accomplishments of the seniors with the most outstanding GPAs, the faculty chooses one student whose scholarly performance stands out from the crowd, considering not only the quantified GPAs but also more intangible issues of intellectual originality, austerity, and professional potential. Winners' names are permanently displayed in Milne Library. The award winners in this category attend a banquet celebrating the achievements of scholars from other department as well as English.

a The Susan Sutton Smith Scholarship
The Susan Sutton Smith Scholarship was established in 1998 by the parents of the late Dr. Susan Sutton Smith, an esteemed colleague in the English Department. It is a $500 scholarship awarded to an English major who shows academic promise. It is renewable, provided the student completes three English courses per academic year and maintains a 3.5 GPA in the English major and a 3.25 GPA overall.