The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the University of Chicago Awards and Prizes Collection 1898-1980
© 2013 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | University of Chicago. Awards and Prizes. Collection |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1898-1980 |
| Size: | 3 linear feet (6 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | This artificial collection contains correspondence, announcements and publicity as well as winning entries for various University-administered competitions. Most are for scholarly or creative writing. The material dates from 1898 to 1980, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1940 to 1971. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: University of Chicago. Awards and Prizes. Collection Papers Papers [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
The University of Chicago administers competitions that are sponsored both by the university itself and by outside groups or private endowments. The competitions represented in this collection are mostly privately-endowed prizes, awarded by the university to University of Chicago students. A brief account of some of the more notable prizes follows.
The Academy of American Poets Prize was established in 1955 by the academy for students at colleges and universities across the country. Participating schools can set certain standards for the competition, though no restrictions on poetic format/form are allowed. The prize is still in existence, but the University of Chicago no longer participates.
The Chicago Folklore Prize originally honored any contribution to folklore studies – essay, monograph, collection of material etc. It was established in 1904 by the American Folklore Society. The prize is still awarded, now for book-length works.
The David Blair McLaughlin Prize is an internal University of Chicago prize. It honors critical or scholarly essays in English prose in a range of subjects. The prize is named in memory of David Blair McLaughlin, 1895-1914, a University of Chicago student who died tragically in a diving accident. His parents established the prize in 1914; the first competition took place in 1916, and the award was $50.
Beginning in 1895, a handful of prizes were offered annually for essays in economics, adjudicated by a committee of professors from various universities including the University of Chicago. The prizes were sponsored by three Chicagoans and the competition was open to undergraduates and others throughout the country.
The Fiske Poetry Prize was established in 1920 by Horace Spencer Fiske, in memory of his father John Billings Fiske. Open to University of Chicago students, it was judged annually by the chair of the English Department, a prominent American poet, and an American literary critic. The prize is no longer offered.
The Florence James Adams Prize, first awarded in 1912, was for excellence in artistic reading, generally of poetry.
The Gellhorn Prize in Neurophysiology was established in 1963 by Ernest Gellhorn, a neurophysiologist at the University of Minnesota. It was administered by the University of Chicago's Physiology Department.
The Olga and Paul Menn Foundation Prize was established in 1949 in accordance with the 1946 will of Olga Menn. Four yearly prizes were offered originally, for short stories, novels, or plays, to University students between the ages of 20 and 26. The first prizes were awarded in 1950. By 1956 musical compositions were also accepted. Currently, one prized is awarded annually, for plays only.
Another early prize was offered by the New England Free Trade League, for an essay on the topic of trade protectionism. Prizes were offered at five colleges, and awarded in 1899.
The Political Institutions Prize began in 1918 as the Civil Government Prize, but was renamed in 1944. It was awarded annually to an undergraduate on the basis of an essay on a political topic. It appears that the award later became the Goettler Political Institutions Prize, and that it is no longer awarded.
The Ronald S. Crane prize in criticism was named for the founder of the Chicago School of Literary Criticism.
The Sergel Drama Prize is awarded by the University, but open to playwrights of any age, from anywhere in the world. The prize is awarded biennially. It was established in 1934 by the widow of Charles H. Sergel, a publisher and politician with a particular interest in drama. Awards are presented to plays of different specified sorts in different years. Winning plays are produced at the University. Judges of the competition have included Thornton Wilder and Frank O'Hara.
The Snowday Prize, named for Ronald H. Snowday, is also for criticism.
The collection is divided into 16 series.
Series 1, General, contains material detailing multiple university prizes and listing winners. Each subsequent series contains material dealing with one particular prize, as follows:
Series 2: American Academy of Poets Prize
Series 3: Chicago Folklore Prize
Series 4: Chicago Public Schools (awards for students)
Series 5: David Blair McLaughlin Prize
Series 6: Economics Prize
Series 7: Fiske Poetry Prize
Series 8: Florence James Adams Prize
Series 9: Gellhorn prize in Neurophysiology
Series 10: Menn Foundation Prize
Series 11: New England Free Trade League Competition
Series 12: Political Institutions Prize
Series 13: R. S. Crane Prize
Series 14: Sergel Drama Prize
Series 15: Snowday Prize
Series 16: Undergraduate Teaching Awards
Prizes (and thus series) are arranged alphabetically, and series contents are arranged chronologically.
Crane, Ronald S. Papers
Series I: General |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | List and Descriptions of University Prizes, Fellowships, and Scholarships, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Lists of Past Prize Winners, 1946 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Multiple Awards – Press Release, 1960 |
Series II: Academy of American Poets Prize |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Academy of American Poets Prize – List of Winners, 1955-1970, circa 1970 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1955 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1957 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems, 1958 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems and Library Copies, 1959 |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1960 |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1961 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1964 |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1967 |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1968 |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1969 |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems (Library Copies), 1970 |
| Box 1 Folder 16 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems, Memo Photocopy, 1971 |
| Box 1 Folder 17 | Academy of American Poets Prize – Winning Poems, undated |
Series III: Chicago Folklore Prize |
| Box 1 Folder 18 | Chicago Folklore Prize – Winner, Press Release, 1940, 1961 |
Series IV: Chicago Public Schools |
| Box 1 Folder 19 | Chicago Public School Awards Winners – Assembly Program, 1957 |
Series V: David Blair McLaughlin Prize |
| Box 1 Folder 20 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Article Offprint, 1917 |
| Box 1 Folder 21 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1934 |
| Box 1 Folder 22 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1937 |
| Box 1 Folder 23 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, 1939 |
| Box 1 Folder 24 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1940 |
| Box 1 Folder 25 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1942 |
| Box 1 Folder 26 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1943 |
| Box 1 Folder 27 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1944 |
| Box 1 Folder 28 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1945 |
| Box 1 Folder 29 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1946 |
| Box 1 Folder 30 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1947 |
| Box 1 Folder 31 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, Announcement, 1948 |
| Box 1 Folder 32 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, 1949 |
| Box 1 Folder 33 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1950 |
| Box 1 Folder 34 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, Announcement, 1951 |
| Box 1 Folder 35 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1953 |
| Box 1 Folder 36 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, Announcement, 1955 |
| Box 1 Folder 37 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, Announcement, 1959 |
| Box 1 Folder 38 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, Memo, 1968 |
| Box 1 Folder 39 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1969 |
| Box 1 Folder 40 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entry, 1970 |
| Box 1 Folder 41 | David Blair McLaughlin Prize – Winning Entries, undated |
Series VI: Economics Prizes |
| Box 1 Folder 42 | Economics Prizes – Competition Announcements, 1913-1916 |
Series VII: Fiske Poetry Prize |
| Box 1 Folder 43 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1931 |
| Box 1 Folder 44 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1934 |
| Box 1 Folder 45 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1935 |
| Box 1 Folder 46 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1936 |
| Box 1 Folder 47 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1937 |
| Box 1 Folder 48 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1939 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1940 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, Announcement, 1941 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1942 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1943 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1944 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, Press Release, 1946 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, Clippings, Announcments, 1947-1959 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1947 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1943-1947 |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1948 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1949 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcemnt, 1950 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1951 |
| Box 2 Folder 14 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1952 |
| Box 2 Folder 15 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1948-1952 |
| Box 2 Folder 16 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1953 |
| Box 2 Folder 17 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1954 |
| Box 2 Folder 18 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1955 |
| Box 2 Folder 19 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1956 |
| Box 2 Folder 20 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Announcement, 1957 |
| Box 2 Folder 21 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, 1953-1957 |
| Box 2 Folder 22 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poem, 1963 |
| Box 2 Folder 23 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memo, 1964 |
| Box 2 Folder 24 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memos, 1967 |
| Box 2 Folder 25 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memo, 1968 |
| Box 2 Folder 26 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memo Photocopy, 1969 |
| Box 2 Folder 27 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memo Photocopy, 1970 |
| Box 2 Folder 28 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, Memo, 1971 |
| Box 2 Folder 29 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, undated |
| Box 2 Folder 30 | Fiske Prize – Winning Poems, undated |
Series VIII: Florence James Adams Prize |
| Box 2 Folder 31 | Florence James Adams Prize – Winner Announcements, 1965, 1970 |
Series IX: Gellhorn Prize in Neurophysiology |
| Box 2 Folder 32 | Gellhorn Prize in Neurophysiology – Press Release, 1963 |
Series X: Menn Foundation Prize |
| Box 2 Folder 33 | Menn Foundation Prize – Clipping, 1949 |
| Box 2 Folder 34 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entry, circa 1950 |
| Box 2 Folder 35 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, 1950 |
| Box 2 Folder 36 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, 1951 |
| Box 2 Folder 37 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entry, 1952 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entry, Announcement, 1953 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Menn Foundation Prize – Announcements and Winning Entries, 1955 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, Announcements, 1956 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, 1957 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, 1958 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Menn Foundation Prize – Posters, 1970 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entry, Memo, 1970 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Menn Foundation Prize – Winning Entries, Memo Photocopy, 1971 |
Series XI: New England Free Trade League Competition |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | New England Free Trade League – Competition Announcement, circa 1898 |
Series XII: Political Institutions Prize |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1944 |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1945 |
| Box 3 Folder 12 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1946 |
| Box 3 Folder 13 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1947 |
| Box 3 Folder 14 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1950 |
| Box 3 Folder 15 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1951 |
| Box 3 Folder 16 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1952 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1953 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries and Announcement, 1954 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries, Announcement [1 of 2], 1955 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries [2 of 2], 1955 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries, Announcement, 1956 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, Announcement, 1957 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries, 1958 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entry, 1959 |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | Political Institutions Prize – Winning Entries, undated |
Series XIII: R. S. Crane Award |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | R. S. Crane Award – Winning Entry, 1969 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | R. S. Crane Award – Winning Entry, Memo, 1970 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | R. S. Crane Award – Winning Entry, Memo Photocopy, 1971 |
Series XIV: Sergel Drama Prize |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Sergel Drama Prize – Correspondence, Press Releases, Brochures, 1934-1972 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winner, Press Release, 1939 |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winner, Announcements, 1940 |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winner, 1942 |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winner, Announcements, Correspondence, 1946 |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winning Entries, Announcements, Correspondence [1 of 2], 1947 |
| Box 5 Folder 12 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winning Entry [2 of 2], 1947 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winning Entries, Announcements, 1949 |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Sergel Drama Prize – Winning Entry, Announcement, 1951 |
Series XV: Snowday Prize |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Snowday Prize – Winning Entry, Memo, Entrant List, 1964 |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Snowday Prize – Winning Entry, 1968 |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Snowday Prize – Winning Entry, Memo, 1970 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Snowday Prize – Winning Entries, Memo, 1971 |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Snowday Prize – Winning Entries, undated |
Series XVI: Undergraduate Teaching Awards |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | Undergraduate Teaching Prizes – Clipping, 1945 |