60th Annual Writing Contest
The Department of Humanities would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry in the 60th Annual Writing Contest! Your creativity and effort make this contest a true celebration, and we appreciate each and every submission. We look forward to seeing even more brilliant work in future contests!
Congratulations to the Winners of the Department of Humanities’ 60th Annual Writing Contest! We are thrilled to announce the exceptional winners of the 2025 contest, representing the Armour College of Engineering, College of Architecture, Lewis College of Science and Letters, the College of Computing and Stuart School of Business. These individuals have shown remarkable talent and creativity in their respective categories:
EDWIN H. LEWIS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION
- 1st: Angelica Conwell (Architecture, 4th year), “Living Architecture: Filipino Culture, Community, and Designing for Change”
- 2nd: Sharara Shadab (Undeclared, 1Styear), “This Will Always Be Me”
- 3rd: Saurav Ayyagari (Social Sciences, 5th year), “SPEICHERSTADT: Post-Industrial Port Urbanism”
EDWIN H. LEWIS PRIZE FOR FICTION
- 1st: Julia King (Social Sciences, 3rd year), “Out of Time”
- 2nd: Charlotte Sanders (Psychology, 4th year), "Inspiration"
- 3rd: Faylinn Nelson (Humanities, 4th year), “The Man Who Devoured Himself”
MOLLIE COHEN PRIZE FOR POETRY
- 1st: Tukesha Hill (Architecture, 5th year), “The Melanin Tariff”
- 2nd: Saurav Ayyagari (Social Sciences, 5th year), “I AM LOST”
- 3rd: Hayaa Sayeed (CAEE, 3rd year), “irreverent devotion”
HENRY AND MYRNA KNEPLER FRESHMAN ESSAY PRIZE
- 1st: Sofia Zakhem (Architecture, 1st year), “On the Unusual Permanence of Life”
- 2nd: Dina Liqa (MMAE, 1st year), “Education Through the Four Phases of Engineering”
- 3rd: Yailine Cano (Stuart School of Business, 1st year), “Personal Admissions Essay”
WARREN SCHMAUS PRIZE FOR PHILOSOPHY WRITING
- 1st: Leen Albalawi (Computer Science, 3rd year), “Friendship in Greek Philosophy”
Prizes
| Prizes* | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Fiction | $350 | $250 | $150 |
| Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Nonfiction | $350 | $250 | $150 |
| Henry and Myrna Knepler Freshman Essay Prize | $350 | $250 | $150 |
| Mollie Cohen Prize for Poetry | $350 | $250 | $150 |
| Warren Schmaus Prize for Philosophy Writing** | $150 | N/A | N/A |
*Prizes will be awarded in the form of a Greenphire ClinCard Visa Gift Cards, which can be used anywhere Visa cards are accepted.
**For the Warren Schmaus Prizes for Philosophy Writing, the Prize is $150 and there is only one winner.
An in-person awards ceremony will be held on April 10, 2025, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.
Edwin H. Lewis Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction
The prizes for fiction and nonfiction are named for Edwin H. Lewis, an English Professor at Lewis Institute, one of the forerunners of Illinois Tech, from 1895 until 1936. Among other classes, Lewis taught Shakespeare, and apparently looked somewhat like him, too. It is said that students would come to campus just for his lectures, often without even being enrolled.
Mollie S. Cohen Prize for Poetry
The poetry prize was established in 1965 by Illinois Tech English professor Mollie S. Cohen as she was retiring. Cohen was a native Chicagoan and attended Lewis Institute before doing graduate work at the University of Chicago and at Sorbonne in Paris. During her time as a professor at Illinois Tech, she worked closely with women students and international students.
Henry and Myrna Knepler Freshman Essay Prize
The prize for freshman essays honors the late Henry and Myrna Knepler, both former professors of English at Illinois Tech. Henry Knepler served as chair of the Department of Humanities for 16 years. Myrna Knepler was an alumna of Illinois Tech who received her doctorate in linguistics. The prize is funded by an endowment made by the Kneplers, both of whom were very committed to English as a Second Language instruction and to writing instruction.
The Warren Schmaus Prize for Philosophy Writing
The prize for best undergraduate paper in philosophy honors Warren Schmaus, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, who taught at Illinois Tech for 42 years. The prize is funded by an endowment made by Terry Straus, daughter of Fay Sawyier, a long time philosophy professor at Illinois Tech.
Writing Contest FAQs
If you submitted through the online submission form, you should have received a confirmation message upon clicking “submit”. If you are unsure or would like to double check your submission, feel free to email humanities@iit.edu and we can verify that your submission has been received.
No. You don't have to bring it in person if you've already completed the digital form and uploaded your writing piece.
Unfortunately, at this time, the writing contest is only open to our undergraduate population. We are exploring whether we might be able to open the contest to graduate students in the near future.
While there is no strict word or page limit, we recommend keeping your submission to no more than 15 pages or 7500 words.
Yes! For this category, feel free to use your admissions/entrance essay, or any essay you wrote within your first year of college. Remember for this category, you must be a freshman or first year student.
Yes! Feel free to submit more than one piece if you would like. However, you must complete an entry form for each writing piece that you submit.
No. Please choose the most appropriate category that you would like your piece to be considered in.
Not at this time. Submissions must be the work of a single author.
No. Submissions must include your full name and IIT email address for the entry form.
Absolutely. Art is sometimes profane and graphic, and we respect and value your artistic choice and freedom as a writer to include this kind of language and content. Please just ensure that you abide by Illinois Tech’s student handbook, and avoid things like libel, slander, harassment, etc.
AI tools are not strictly prohibited, as we recognize some writers find them useful for various parts of the writing process. However, the contest is intended to showcase authentic, original writing. If you do choose to use AI tools, please ensure that submissions reflect your original thought and creative work.
Yes! Winning pieces will be published by Illinois Tech in a short book. However, you retain full ownership, copyright, and publishing rights to your writing.