UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication
(Whitewater, WI) Fifteen years ago, the University Writing Awards were established to recognize exceptional writing by students from across all colleges at UW-Whitewater. Each year, instructors nominate outstanding work in a wide variety of genres ranging from essays and research papers to business emails, poetry, and personal reflections.
The University Writing Awards committee includes faculty members, Jolly Emrey, Elizabeth Blair, Kris Curran, John Pruitt, Russell Kashian, Barrett Swanson, and Elizabeth Hachten, chair. There are three levels of awards (1st – Outstanding, 2nd – Superior, 3rd – Distinguished) except in the category of First-Year Writing. Thanks to the support of the University Foundation, winners receive cash awards, as well as, a certificate of achievement.
This year, the Writing Awards Selection Committee’s task was particularly difficult as they received a record 56 submissions. In the end, twenty-two students were chosen to receive awards in nine categories: creative writing, expository essay, group projects, journalistic writing, professional writing, personal reflection, research paper, reviews and critiques, and first-year writing. Congratulations to this year’s winners on the effectiveness of their writing and the committee encourages them to continue polishing their skills in the years to come. And kudos to the faculty mentors who have nurtured and encouraged their development as writers.
The winners in the College of Arts and Communication are:
- Outstanding award for Creative Writing to Kathleen Grace Martin for “Mask-Wearing 101” nominated by Barrett Swanson.
- Superior award for Expository Essay to Alex Emery for “The Intersectionalities of Ma Rainey” nominated by Erin Bauer.
- Distinguished award for Journalistic Writing to Kylie Jacobs for “Discover Whitewater Series beats our rain” nominated by Keith Zukas.
- Superior award for Research Paper to Alex Emery for “Influences on John Cage’s Musical Form” nominated by Erin Bauer.
- Distinguished award for Research Paper to Allison Keller for “Upheaval and Loss in Stravinsky’s Symphony in C: Searching for Order to Cope with Tragic Times” nominated by Erin Bauer.
- Distinguished award for Research Paper to Allison Keller for “The Art of Program Music: An Analysis of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Piano Cycle Das Jahr” nominated by Erin Bauer.
- First-Year Student Writing Award to MacKenzie Lindow for “Rhetorical Analysis: Just Mercy” nominated by Erin Bauer.
A link to the full list of the 2019-20 winners is available at https://www.uww.edu/acadaff/awards/students/writingawards .
By the way, the Grand Prize went to Olivia Viets, a spring 2020 graduate who majored in Social Studies Broadfield Education and minored in Spanish. Her topic was “Language, Literature and the Welsh Nationalist Movement.”
