Contests & Awards in Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Program annually sponsors three contests across multiple genres. These contests are judged by a rotating group of writers who have received national recognition for their work and are not affiliated with the program:

• The Blink Creative Writing Award. For a single short story. $2,500.

• The David R. Russell Memorial Poetry Prize. First Place: $1,000; Second Place: $500; Third Place: $250.

• The Frances Mossiker Prize. For any creative genre other than poetry or the short story, including hybrids. First Place: $1,000; Second Place: $500; Third Place: $250.

How to submit: For a full list of 2023 guidelines and submission information, see this year’s flyer. Contests are open to all regularly enrolled undergraduate students at SMU.

The Creative Writing Program also gives several awards for outstanding performance in creative writing coursework. Recipients of these awards are selected by faculty with no application required:

• The Lon Tinkle Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. $1,200.

• The Margaret Terry Crooks Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. $1,200

• The Marsh Terry Creative Writing Scholarship. Award amount varies.