Convocation Awards

Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize of the Academy of American Poets

Given to a graduate or undergraduate student for the best poem or group of poems.

2022 – Judged by Madeleine Gallo MFA ’21

G.H. Plaag MFA ’22 – winner
Anne-Sophie Olsen MFA ’22 – runner-up

2021 – Judged by Nancy Naomi Carlson

Tyler Starks MFA ’21 – winner
Madeleine Gallo MFA ’21 – runner-up
Makenzie Hampton ’22 – runner-up

2020 – Judged by Rebecca Morgan Frank

Margot Rieth ’20 – winner
Jennifer Sutherland MFA ’20 – honorable mention

2019 – Judged by Dan Vera

Adriana Rewald MFA ’19 – winner
Jonathan Pyner MFA ’20 – honorable mention
Madison Harr ’22 – honorable mention

2018 – Judged by Jim McKean

Adriana Rewald MFA ’19 – winner
Reilly Cundiff MFA ’18 – runner-up
Margot Rieth ’20 – runner-up

2017 – Judged by Rose McLarney

Brooke McKinney MFA ’18 – winner
Heather Loudermilk ’17 – runner-up

2016 – Judged by Ansel Elkins

Shelley Whitaker ’16 – winner
Mike Good MFA ’16 – runner-up

2015 – Judged by David Roderick

William Repass MFA ’16 – winner
Amanda Williams MFA ’16 – winner

2013 – Judged by Andrea Hollander

Michael Loruss MFA ’13 – winner
Eve Strillacci MFA ’13 – winner

2012 – Judged by Stacey Brown

Matthew Bishop MFA ’12 – winner
Brandon Courtney MFA ’12 – winner
Elisabeth Aroneau MFA ’13 – honorable mention

2011 – Judged by Tim Seibles

S.H. Lohmann MFA ’12 – winner
Jess Quinlan MFA ’11 – runner-up
Matthew Bishop MFA ’12 – honorable mention
Lauren Smith MFA ’12 – honorable mention

Andrew James Purdy Prize for Short Fiction

In memory of Andrew James Purdy, a member of the Hollins English faculty from 1968 to 1977, this award is given to a graduate student in the creative writing program who has written a body of fiction of outstanding quality.

Andrew James Purdy Award

2022 – Judged by Matthew Denton-Edmundson

G.H. Plaag MFA ’22 – winner
Erin Comerford MFA ’23 – runner-up

2021 – Judged by Louise Marburg

Laura Schmitt MFA ’22 – winner
G.H. Plaag MFA ’22 – runner-up

2020 – Judged by Susan Land

Alexis Collins MFA ’21 – winner
Lena Fultz MFA ’21 – runner-up
Nicholas Shahbaz MFA ’20 – runner-up

2019 – Judged by Anne Sanow

Amy Tomasso MFA ’19 – winner
Jordan Humphrey MFA ’19 – runner-up

2018 – Judged by Anne Sanow

Lucy Marcus MFA ’19 – winner
Victoria Garayalde MFA ’18 – runner-up

2017 – Judged by Mark Powell

Julie Upshur MFA ’17 – winner
Ellie Paolini MFA ’17 – runner-up

2016 – Judged by Matthew Vollmer

Whitney Watson MFA ’16 – winner
Taylor Kobran MFA ’16 – runner-up

2015 – Judged by Mariflo Stephens

Elisabeth Booze MFA ’16 – winner
Ellen Ray MFA ’16 – runner-up

2014 – Judged by Elizabeth Denton

Colin Lee MFA ’14 – winner
Elise Burke MFA ’15 – runner-up

2013 – Judged by Daniel Mueller

Eric Thompson MFA ’13 – winner
Annie Mountcastle MFA ’13 – runner-up
Amanda Pauley MFA ’14 – runner-up

2012 – Judged by R.T. Smith

David Gauly MFA ’12 – winner

2011 – Judged by Jean McGarry

David Gauly MFA ’12 – winner
Meighan Sharp MFA ’11 – runner-up
Lauren Smith MFA ’11 – runner-up

Melanie Hook Rice Award in Creative Nonfiction

In memory of Melanie Hook Rice, Class of 1975, this award is given to a graduate or undergraduate student in the creative writing program who has demonstrated considerable writing skills and has either completed or made substantial progress toward writing a book-length work of nonfiction.

2022 – Judged by Sydney Tammarine MFA ’18

G.H. Plaag MFA ’22 – winner
Emily Davis-Fletcher MFA ’23 – runner-up
Meghana Mysore MFA ’22 – runner-up

2021 – Judged by Inara Verzemnieks

Winner: Jen Lazar MFA ’21 – winner
Runner-up: Sharon Christner MFA ’21 – runner-up
Runner-up: Meghana Mysore MFA ’22 – runner-up

2020 – Judged by Michaele Weissman

Sharon Christner MFA ’21 – winner

2019 – Judged by Anne Valente

Lucy Marcus MFA ’19 – winner
Lisa Archer MFA ’19 – runner-up
Hännah Ettinger MFA ’19 – runner-up

2018 – Judged by Colin Rafferty

Sydney Tammarine MFA ’18 – winner
Lucy Marcus MFA ’19 – runner-up
Rachael Walker ’18 – runner-up

2017 – Judged by Peter Trachtenberg

Sydney Tammarine MFA ’18 – winner
Josalyn Knapic MFA ’17 – runner-up
Abigail Tippin MFA ’17 – runner-up

2016 – Judged by Susan Fox Rogers

Mallory Jones MFA ’16 – winner
Miranda Jenkins MFA ’16 – runner-up
Ericka Kelly ’16 – runner-up

2015 – Judged by Scott McClanahan

Elizabeth Caldwell MFA ’15 – winner
Mallory Jones MFA ’16 – runner-up
Martha Park MFA ’15 – runner-up

2014 – Judged by Lia Purpura

Martha Park MFA ’15 – winner

2012 – Judged by Paul Lisicky

S.H. Lohmann MFA ’12 – winner
Lorie Imsdahl MFA ’13 – runner-up

2011 – Judged by Jenny Boully, MFA ’99

Alys Sink ’11 – winner

Melanie Hook Rice Award in the Novel

2022 – Judged by Anna Caritj MFA ’16

Jamie Hudalla MFA ’22 – winner
Meghana Mysore MFA ’22 – runner-up
Cameron Vanderwerf MFA ’22 – runner-up

2021 – Judged by Ellen Prentiss Campbell

Cory Crouser MFA ’21 – winner
Zoe Wright MFA ’21 – runner-up

2020 – Judged by Anne Sanow

Brooke Shamblin ’20 – winner
Celeste Leeds-Laliberte ’22 – runner-up
Katherine Nuwayser ’20 – runner-up

2019 – Judged by Susan Coll

Lucy Marcus ’19 – winner
Kelly Stephenson MFA ’20 – runner-up
Cassidy Trudeau ’19 – runner-up

2018 – Judged by Paula Whyman

Lucy Marcus MFA ’19 – winner
Victoria Garayalde MFA ’18 – runner-up

2017 – Judged by Robert Siegel

Tessa Cheek MFA ’17 – winner
Elizabeth Reitzell MFA ’17 – runner-up
Ellie Paolini MFA ’17 – runner-up

2016 – Judged by Jon Pineda

Ellen Ray MFA ’16 – winner
Elizabeth Booze MFA ’16 – runner-up
Tessa Cheek MFA ’17 – runner-up

2015 – Judged by Ravi Howard

Elisabeth Booze MFA ’16 – winner
Marissa Mazek MFA ’15 – runner-up

2014 – Judged by Drew Perry

Virginia Wood MFA ’14 – winner
Emma Bohmann MFA ’14 – runner-up
Colin Lee MFA ’14 – runner-up

2013 – Judged by Adam Ross

Colin Lee MFA ’14 – winner
Annie Mountcastle MFA ’14 – runner-up

2012 – Judged by Jessica Anya Blau

Courtney Cullinan Robb MFA ’12 – winner
Mary Catherine Curley MFA ’12 – runner-up

2011 – Judged by Ed Falco

Courtney Cullinan Robb MFA ’12 – winner

Hollins MFA

in Creative Writing