English Department Essay Awards

Wed. Feb. 25, 2026

The Department of English is now accepting submissions for the following Essay Prizes:

R.N. Hallstead Memorial Shakespeare Prizes         
In memory of the late Professor Robert Nathaniel Hallstead, awards are offered annually for the best essays submitted on any aspect of the work of Shakespeare. Candidates need not be registered for a course in English, but must be registered at The University of Winnipeg during the session in which an essay is submitted. All essays to be considered for the awards must be submitted to the Office Manager of the Department of English, k.batson@uwinnipeg.ca. The deadline for submissions this year is Friday, May 15, 2026.

English Department Indigenous Essay Prize 
The purpose of this prize is to deepen the awareness of topics related to the English Department Land Acknowledgement. Submissions will be accepted from current students completing any degree program who have declared a major in English, or who are working toward an English minor. While registration in an English course at the time of submission is not required, students must have previously completed a minimum of 6 credit hours of English to be eligible. The essay or project must have been submitted and graded as part of an English course completed during one of the most recent spring, fall and winter terms prior to the prize deadline. The topic of the essay or project may include, but is not limited to: Indigenous literatures and writings, oral traditions, languages, and visual or other forms of text.

Submission Requirements

• Essays must be submitted as a clean, ungraded copy without instructor comments or annotations (PDF preferred).
• Essays and projects must clearly indicate the original course number, course title, and instructor’s name on the first page, or on a separate title page.
• Essays should be between 1000 and 3000 words in length.
• Projects must be photographed or otherwise submitted in a digital format, and accompanied by a written statement between 300 and 1,500 words. If digital submission is not possible, please contact the English Department for assistance.
• Please ensure that the documents submitted contain no identifying information and that you include a separate document containing your name, address, student number, and the prize(s) for which you are applying.

All essays and projects must be submitted to the Office Manager of the English Department, k.batson@uwinnipeg.ca. The deadline for submissions this year is Friday, May 15, 2026.