Scholarships & Awards

Undergraduate

Each academic year, the Department of English holds scholarship contests for undergraduates in the areas of technical writing and literature. These scholarships are presented to winners at the annual the department’s annual Celebration of Awards and Achievements near the end of the spring term.

Eligibility

The Department of English hosts a number of undergraduate scholarships, awarded on the basis of merit and intended to support study at USF. The Edwin and Mary Martin Award, James and Lorraine Parish Award, STC Scholarship, and Charles F. Brooks Award are open to students whose home campus is the Tampa campus. The Scott Deering Hamilton Scholarship and Stenz Writer’s Fellowship are open to students who have designated St. Petersburg as their home campus: applications for these two awards should be submitted via Award Spring. The Miller Prize, awarded following faculty nomination, is available to students on USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Deadlines

Applications for the Brooks, Suncoast, and Martin scholarships are due Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 (4:00 pm).

Applications for the Miller scholarship are due Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 (4:00 pm).

Applications for the Deering and Stenz scholarships are due Wednesday, February 1st, 2023.

Distribution of Awards

The scholarships listed below are non-taxable, and will be processed and paid to each winner’s Student Self-Service account through the Office of Financial Aid.

Available scholarships include the following:

Charles F. Brooks Award in Technical Writing

Deadline: Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 (4:00 pm)

Award: Up to $625

Open To: Students on the Tampa campus with a major or minor in Professional and Technical Communication

How to apply: A digital portfolio submitted as either a PDF or website URL to englishdepartment@usf.edu. Portfolios must include work completed in PTC courses at USF during the current academic year, but may also include work from other semesters or work completed outside of class. Be sure to attach your completed entry form with your submission.

Include the words "Brooks Award" in the subject line of your email.

Please direct any questions to the Director of the PTC program, Morgan Gresham, PhD.


Suncoast Chapter Technical Writing Scholarship

Deadline: Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 (4:00 pm)

Award: Up to $500

Open To: Students on the Tampa campus with a major or minor in Professional and Technical Communication

How to apply: Send your completed entry form and a sample of your best technical writing work (a single document or project) as an email attachment to englishdepartment@usf.edu with "STC Award" in the subject line by the deadline.

Please direct any questions to the Director of the PTC program, Morgan Gresham, PhD.


Dorothy and Ester Newman Award

Description: The Dorothy and Ester Newman Award is a merit award for an excellent undergraduate in English who wishes to pursue an academic career in the field and who has knowledge of nineteenth-century British literature as demonstrated in an essay.

Deadline: Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 (4:00 pm)

Award: Up to $475

Open To: Undergraduate English majors (any concentration), who have designated Tampa as their home campus. 

Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled at least one semester during the current academic year. Minimum GPA requirement is 3.0 overall, and 3.3 in the English major.  

How to Apply: Each applicant must submit the following documents: 

  • an application form, 
  • a 200-300 word statement on career plans, 
  • and an essay on nineteenth-century British literature. The essay should use mainly primary texts and be a minimum of 2000 words. 

The application form is linked to the right and should be submitted with the two required items as an email attachment. Please include “Newman Award” in the subject line of the email. Send the completed application to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Emily Jones, PhD.

Erik Miller Memorial Scholarship

Description: The Erik Miller Memorial Scholarship recognizes outstanding achievement and promise in literary criticism.

Deadline: Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

Award: Up to $2000

Open to: English majors who have designated Sarasota-Manatee as their home campus.

How to apply: Applicants must submit the following documents:

  • A sample of literary analysis (completed for an English class) at least 1,000 words long.  
  • A letter of recommendation written by a continuing English faculty member based on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. 

Email these two documents to Dr. Valerie Lipscomb, vlipscom@usf.edu. Include “Miller Scholarship” in the subject line of your email.

 

Scott Deering Hamilton Scholarship

Description: This scholarship is in honor of Scott Deering Hamilton, a proud St. Petersburg alumnus. Scott enjoyed the waterfront, was an avid sailor and loved literature. This scholarship is dedicated to help others achieve their educational pursuits and life’s dreams. Preference
will be given to a student that has demonstrated sportsmanship.

Deadline: Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

Award: This scholarship is renewable up to 8 semesters.
Renewal requires a 3.0 USF GPA and successful completion of 30 USF hours each academic year.

Open to: Students who are majoring or minoring in English and have designated St. Petersburg as their home campus. To be eligible, students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours undergraduate, 5 credit hours graduate).

How to apply: Applications are to be submitted via Award Spring.

 

Dina and Brad Stenz Writers Scholarship

Description:  The Dina and Brad Stenz Writers Scholarship provides support for a junior or senior St. Petersburg student whose focus is technical writing or writing for the sciences.

Deadline: Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

Award: $500

Open to: The Stenz Scholarship is open to students who have designated St. Petersburg as their home campus. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

How to apply: Applications are to be submitted via Award Spring. Applicants will need to submit the following:

  • a statement (250-500 words) describing their interest in technical writing or writing for the sciences,
  • a writing sample demonstrating technical writing or science writing,
  • and a letter of recommendation.