58th Annual Writing Contest
Congratulations to the winners of the Department of Humanities’ 58th Annual Writing Contest!
2023 winners represent students from the Armour College of Engineering, College of Architecture, Lewis College of Science and Letters, and the College of Computing.
EDWIN H. LEWIS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION
1st: Jessica Burrell (Social and Economic Development Policy, 3rd year), “Louisiana Coastal Erosion”
2nd: Nabil Fawaz (Civil/Transportation Engineering, 3rd year), “A Queer Loop: The Many Lives of LGBTQ Chicago”
3rd: Sarah Kay Stephens (Architecture, 5th year), “Solving the Environmental Crisis through Adaptive Thoughts and Adaptive Reuse”
EDWIN H. LEWIS PRIZE FOR FICTION
1st: Jessica Burrell (Social and Economic Development Policy, 3rd year), “Mindfulness”
2nd: Angela Petrone (Digital Humanities, 3rd year), “Ashes”
3rd: Vishnu Rama Varma Thampuran (Computer Science, 1st year), “A Leap of Faith”
MOLLIE COHEN PRIZE FOR POETRY
1st: Fionn Hui (Architecture, 2nd year), “Places to Return to”
2nd: Beatrice De Castro (Architecture, 3rd year), “Untitled”
3rd: Julia King (Global Studies, 1st year), “Triptych of Consumption”
HENRY AND MYRNA KNEPLER FRESHMAN ESSAY PRIZE
1st: Julia King (Global Studies, 1st year), “Modes of Translation”
2nd: Le Thuc Ny Phan (Architecture, 1st year), “The McDonald Chicago Flagship by Ross Barney Architects: Wall-E’s Plant in Boot”
WARREN SCHMAUS PRIZE FOR PHILOSOPHY WRITING
1st: Paula Pardo (Astrophysics, 3rd year), “The Ground”
An in-person awards ceremony will be held on April 18, 2023, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.
Prizes
| Prizes* | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Fiction | $300 | $200 | $100 |
| Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Nonfiction | $300 | $200 | $100 |
| Henry and Myrna Knepler Freshman Essay Prize | $300 | $200 | $100 |
| Mollie Cohen Prize for Poetry | $300 | $200 | $100 |
| Warren Schmaus Prize for Philosophy Writing** | $150 | N/A | N/A |
*Prizes will be awarded in the form of PNC Bank Visa gift cards, which can be used anywhere that Visa cards are accepted.
**There is only one first place prize for $150 for the Warren Schmaus Prize.
Edwin H. Lewis Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction
The prizes for fiction and nonfiction are named for Edwin H. Lewis, an English Professor at Lewis Institute, one of the forerunners of Illinois Tech, from 1895 until 1936. Among other classes, Lewis taught Shakespeare, and apparently looked somewhat like him, too. It is said that students would come to campus just for his lectures, often without even being enrolled.
Mollie S. Cohen Prize for Poetry
The poetry prize was established in 1965 by Illinois Tech English professor Mollie S. Cohen as she was retiring. Cohen was a native Chicagoan and attended Lewis Institute before doing graduate work at the University of Chicago and at Sorbonne in Paris. During her time as a professor at Illinois Tech, she worked closely with women students and international students.
Henry and Myrna Knepler Freshman Essay Prize
The prize for freshman essays honors the late Henry and Myrna Knepler, both former professors of English at Illinois Tech. Henry Knepler served as chair of the Department of Humanities for 16 years. Myrna Knepler was an alumna of Illinois Tech who received her doctorate in linguistics. The prize is funded by an endowment made by the Kneplers, both of whom were very committed to English as a Second Language instruction and to writing instruction.
The Warren Schmaus Prize for Philosophy Writing
The prize for best undergraduate student paper in philosophy honors Warren Schmaus, professor emeritus of philosophy, who taught at Illinois Tech for 42 years. The prize is funded by an endowment made by Terry Straus, the daughter of Fay Sawyier, a longtime philosophy professor at Illinois Tech.