The 2024 Oldenburg Writing Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Oldenburg Writing Contest!  Congratulations to all who won, and thank you to all who entered!  A heartfelt thank you, as well, goes out to all our faculty judges who made these difficult decisions.   

Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "'Something was always burning': Redefining Violent Pasts in Night Sky with Exit Wounds" by Ian McGuckin
Second Place - "Deaf Literacy and Language Learning" by Ashton Cove
Third Place - "Ghost Stories and Hopeful Tales: Redefining Queer Narratives in Media" by Carlie Sherwood

Drama

First Place - "Conformity" by Caroline Hamilton

Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student

First Place - "I Found Out Who I Was" by Amy Phillips

Fiction written by an GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "Where There’s Smoke" by Ian Ouzts
Second Place - "Missy Harper and the Billboard Top Hits: 1983" by Madison Cesarz
Third Place - "Frank Sinatra on CD" by Erin Riley
Third Place - "Beneath the Mask" by Brandon Smith

Personal, Analytical, or Persuasive Essay Written by a Freshman

First Place - "Not All is Lost: Humanity at the End of the World" by Carli Whalen
Second Place - "Fire on High" by Steven Walenga
Third Place - "Using Social Media for Coral Reef Bleaching Awareness" by Isabella Rybinski

Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "On My Fictional Father" by Genevieve Balivet
Second Place - "On Taxonomy" by Angelina Firmalan
Third Place - "I’m a Black Woman going to a White College That’s It, That’s the Title" by Maya Woodson

Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student (small portfolio of 3-5 poems)

First Place - "Artificial Ignorance: The Algorithm of Desire" by Ian Ouzts
First Place - "Recently dialed; Silken boy; Dirge of the dogs; Gear shift" by Brooke Rempalski
Third Place - "Mutineers; Ungrounding; The Comedians; If the Movement of a Mountain Doesn’t Cure You; Ambush" by Michael Breazeale
Third Place - "I Haven’t Met You Yet" by Kayla Gornick

Oldenburg Writing Contest

E. William Oldenburg, Ph.D., University of Michigan. Bill was chair of the English Department, a scholar in American literature, a published poet and author of a novel for children about the Indian heritage of Ottawa County. Bill was an avid actor, participating in many theatrical productions. Bill died in an auto accident on his way to school in 1974.

In conjunction with the Departments of Classics and Writing, the GVSU English Department is pleased to announce its annual Oldenburg Writing Contest (PDF). Named in honor of former department member E. William Oldenburg, the contest offers GVSU students first-place cash prizes of $100 and second-place prizes of $75 and third-place prizes of $50 in each of the following categories.  Apply online now.

Categories

• Personal, analytical, or persuasive essay written by a first-year student.
• Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior.
• Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior.
• Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student. A small portfolio of three to five poems would be an appropriate entry. A single poem normally would not be considered.
• Fiction written by any GVSU undergraduate student. One short story per entrant.
• Drama written by any GVSU undergraduate student. One short play per entrant.
• Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student.

Rules
Entries must have been written while the enrolled at GVSU. One entry max per category. Writing entered in a prior year may not be resubmitted. Entries should be typed, double-spaced (photocopies are acceptable) and submitted with a detachable cover-sheet indicating:

• Title of the work
• Category entered
• Contestant's name and student ID
• Address, phone number, and e-mail

Place contestant's name on the cover-sheet only, not on the manuscript. An example cover sheet can be found here.

Deadline
The entry deadline is Sunday, March 17, 2024. Winners will be notified by email. The awards will be presented at the English Department Awards Ceremony in April 2024.  Contact Sarah Williams for more information.

The 2023 Oldenburg Writing Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Oldenburg Writing Contest!  Congratulations to all who won, and thank you to all who entered!  A heartfelt thank you, as well, goes out to all our faculty judges who made these difficult decisions.   

Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Nicolas Galanin: Artistic Voice for Indigenous Peoples" by Montana Schrader
Second Place - "New Wave Science Fiction: Exploring Inner Space" by Audrey Kelly
Third Place - "African American English: Appropriation, Appreciation, and Empowerment" by Lex Prillwitz

Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student

First Place - "'Affirmation of Life': Black Music in Invisible Man" by Elle Nieuwsma

Fiction written by an GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "The Summer of the Fire" by Ashlyn Miller
Second Place - "The Last of the Aziza" by Abigail Caswell
Third Place - "Letter for the Magpies" by Madison Hooker

Personal, Analytical, or Persuasive Essay Written by a Freshman

First Place - "Who Takes Care of Our Healthcare Workers?" by Kayla Miller
Second Place - "The Unique Experience of Being a Resident of Flint, Michigan" by Ashlynn Scafidi
Third Place - "Deportation: How it Can Affect Families" by Christy Koleva

Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Dirty Hands" by Simon Kailing
Second Place - "Fried Legacies" by Brooke Shannon
Third Place - "Literacy Autobiography" by Karigan Pliml

Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student (small portfolio of 3-5 poems)

First Place - "Ghosts in the Shape of Myself and Others" by Carol Miller
Second Place - "A Poetry Portfolio" by Brooke Shannon
Third Place - "Confessions from the Last Girl on Earth" by Christine Tran

The 2022 Oldenburg Writing Contest Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Oldenburg Writing Contest!  Congratulations to all who won, and thank you to all who entered!  A heartfelt thank you, as well, goes out to all our faculty judges who made these difficult decisions.   

Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Fractals and Racial Boundaries: Invisible Man Analysis Essay" by Joi Mays
Second Place - "The Hunger Games & Today: Examining Similar Societal Trends" by Jillian Ferry
Third Place - "Liberty, Heroism and Moral Victory: Beethoven and the Composition of Fidelio" by Sarah Ecenbarger
Honorable Mention - "American Surrogacy: Babies for Sale?" by Madison Edwards

Drama written by any GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "When Death Comes Knocking" by Chiara Nicholas

Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student

First Place - "Reading Between the Roads: William Least Heat-Moon and the Shape of Civilization" by Ethan Stevens
Second Place - "To Know or Control?: Naming Nature in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea" by Elle Nieuwsma
Third Place - "DeLillo in the Present Age: Reflections of Kierkegaard in Part I of Americana" by Josh Aldrich

Fiction written by an GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "Water Under the Bridge" by Lex Prillwitz
Second Place - "Getting the Green Light" by Amanda John
Third Place - "Radelia Alone" by Hamlet Arnott

Personal, Analytical, or Persuasive Essay Written by a Freshman

First Place - "The Failure of Urban Planning in North America: An Analytical Essay" by Angelina Firmalan
Second Place - "The Well-Being of High School Students Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic" by Jaynie Seylhower
Third Place - "Circumstantial Disability: Reflecting on my Food Allergies in the Context of College and the Social Model of Disability" by Elena Chiu

Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Trolley Problem" by Kai Greenblatt
Second Place - "Ash Wednesday" by Isabella Gielniak
Third Place - "A Reader, A Writer, A Teacher" by Jocelyn Gutierrez
Honorable Mention - "August" by Carol Miller

Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student (small portfolio of 3-5 poems)

First Place - "Women in Power" by Sydney Kierzek
Second Place (Tie) - "Chartreuse; Promises; Antidote" by Ciara Branigan
Second Place (Tie) - "All My Backseat Demons" by Carol Miller
Honorable Mention - "Dreaming of a Different Person" by Emma Young
Honorable Mention - "Silence; How to be My Daughter; 1,000 Miles Apart, Yin and Yang; Calorie Count" by Hannah Applebee

The 2021 Oldenburg Writing Contest Winners

It is our pleasure to announce this year’s winners of the English Department’s Oldenburg Writing Contest!  Congratulations to all who won, and thank you to all who entered!  A heartfelt thank you, as well, goes out to all our faculty judges who made these difficult decisions.   

Fiction written by an GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "November" by Elaina Smith
Second Place - "Buried in Water" by Hamlet Arnott
Third Place - "The Cottage" by Carol Miller
Honorable Mention - "Apartments Look the Same for Everybody" by Frankie Spring
Honorable Mention - "The Therapist" by Paige Siegrist
Honorable Mention - "What We Call It Now" by Jade Gustafson

Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student

First Place - "Across Languages, With Love" by M. L. Dean
Second Place - "Wrens Make Prey Where Eagles Dare Not Perch" by Josh Aldrich
Third Place - "God is a woman" by Alexandra Dora

Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "The Red Barn Cosmovision" by Hannah Kelly
Second Place - "The Shadow that Time Left Behind" by Haley Tanis
Third Place - "Memorial for a Blessing" by Sarah Krishef
Honorable Mention - "This Body Forgives, Therefore, it is Feared" by Elaina Smith
Honorable Mention - "Put a Collar on It" by Nathaniel Lawson
Honorable Mention - "A Series of Fortunate Events: The English Major" by Sidra Elvey

Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student (small portfolio of 3-5 poems)

First Place - "Poetry Portfolio" by Frankie Spring
Second Place - "In the Dirt: A Poetry Portfolio" by Sidra Elvey
Third Place - "The Goldfinch Sings to Fabritius; Elegy for Mangoes; Home is a Haunted Place; Blueberries" by Katherine Gardella
Honorable Mention - "Stealing the Great Wall of China" by Amanda Pszczolkowski

Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Lists in Toni Morrison's Beloved and Song of Solomon? An Unnecessary Necessity" by Haley Tanis
Second Place - "The Innovator or the Leader: A Queer Challenge to Hegemony in N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season" by Brittani Kooiker
Third Place - "A Deceptively Happy Ending: Deceit, Reality, and Consequences in A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Kinnedy Coleman
Honorable Mention - "Us, Them, and Terrance Hayes: How the Use of Persona Crates Distance in Hayes's Poetry" by Elaina Smith
Honorable Mention - "Eurocentrism in Disney: Outdated Character Design in Tanged (2010)" by Sarah Krishef

Personal, Analytical, or Persuasive Essay Written by a Freshman

First Place - "The Big Bang and Faith" by Vera Grix
Second Place - "Thoughts on a Winter Walk" by Alora Bowers
Third Place - "If These Walls Could Speak" by Rebekah Cole

The 2020 Oldenburg Writing Contest Winners

It is our pleasure to announce this year’s winners of the English Department’s Oldenburg Writing Contest!  Congratulations to all who won, and thank you to all who entered!  A heartfelt thank you, as well, goes out to all our faculty judges who made these difficult decisions.   

Fiction written by an GVSU undergraduate student

First Place - "Two Feet" by Amanda Pszczolkowski
Second Place - "Déjà vu" by Sidra Elvey
Third Place - "The Gods of Summer" by Chavala Ymker
Honorable Mention - "Blinking Twice" by Robert Hyma
Honorable Mention - "Meant for More" by Alaina Taylor

Essay, poetry, fiction, or drama written by a GVSU graduate student

First Place - "Do you think a bunch of little angels is what's needed here?': A Posthumanist Reading of Rita Indiana's Tentacle" by Nicholas Langenberg
Second Place - "He was a Man!": Interest Convergence in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man by Josh Aldrich
Third Place - A Personal Character Reflection From The Short Story "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Britteany Duffus

Personal essay written by a sophomore, junior, or senior

First Place - "Romerstrabe" by Chelsea Sheneman
Second Place - "The Tillerwomen" by Hannah Lee Kelly
Third Place - "On Loneliness, Grief, and Guinea Pigs" by Leah Erben
Honorable Mention - "On 1993 Slaughterhouse" by Tasman Mattox

Poetry written by any GVSU undergraduate student (small portfolio of 3-5 poems)

First Place - "To Be Grown" by  Meghan Claire O'Neill
Second Place - "Butterscotch" by Brooke Fugate
Third Place - "Cliffs of Moher" by Megan Markel
Honorable Mention - "I Swear I Heard an Owl" by Sidra Elvey
Honorable Mention - "Water Skiing" by Leah Erben
Honorable Mention - "A List of My Ex-Lovers" by Abigail Hasse

Analytical or persuasive essay written by a sophomore,  junior,  or senior

First Place - "Choosing Silence: An Exploration of Measure for Measure" by Sidra Elvey
Second Place - "Hidden Reality" by Eleanor Zimmermann
Third Place - "Globalization as Compassion" by Haley Tanis

Shakespeare Student Competition

Sponsored by the English Department, the English MA program, and the Theater Department, the Student Shakespeare Competition offers awards for creative, critical, historical, or scholarly projects relating to Shakespeare, his times, and the Renaissance (1350-1650 A.D.) First prize is $100; second prize $75; and third prize $50.

Categories

• Performing Arts
• Performance of Elizabethan period music, drama, or dance.
• Modern work composed specifically as a response to Shakespeare's plays or motion pictures of his work.
• Piece not to exceed five minutes.
• Must be prepared to present work on Friday, Oct. 25, 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall (PAC).
   
• Critical Writing
• Essays dealing with literary, philosophical, biographical, historical, or scientific subjects relevant to the Renaissance period.
   
• Graduate Student Writing
• Essays on Renaissance topics written by GVSU graduate students.
   
• Visual Arts
• Painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramic, photography, etc.
• Film or video work inspired by Shakespeare or his contemporaries.
• An artists statement must accompany all work describing the artworks relation to Shakespeare or the Renaissance period.

Deadline
All entry forms, writing submissions, and artwork must be received by October. Entries may be dropped off in LHH 126 Monday-Friday 10-4 or emailed to [email protected]. Performing Arts entrants must submit their entry forms by October and will perform in October in the Recital Hall in the PAC.

Submission Guidelines

• All submissions must include an Entry Form (available in LHH 126 or by emailing [email protected]).
• All submissions should have only students G number. Students name should be on the entry form only.
• Winners should attend the Awards Ceremony (Saturday, November 2, at 1 p.m.) and present their work in order to receive their prizes. For exceptions contact the coordinator.
• Students cast in Bard to Go or Much Ado about Nothing may not use material they are performing in those productions.
• All GVSU students are eligible.