William F. Vilas Prize

The William F. Vilas Prize provides a one-time award to an rising English major recognizing outstanding essays written by undergraduates in upper-level English Department courses, English 245 or 300-level or above courses. Selected essays will demonstrate exceptional writing and critical thinking. (Creative writing theses are excluded.) Essays must contain a cover page and be submitted in PDF format

Anna M. Vilas established this prize in 1912 in recognition of high caliber of writing by undergraduate students studying English.

Apply for the William F. Vilas Prize by using your campus NetID and password and clicking on the Sign In button on the top-right corner of this screen.

Student financial aid packages can be impacted by scholarship awards and prizes. It is recommended that students contact the financial aid office to learn about impact on current aid packages prior to applying.

For more general information or questions contact Erin Polnaszek Boyd, Undergraduate Advisor, at erin.polnaszek.boyd@wisc.edu.

Award
$100-$200
Organizations
Department of English
Deadline
02/25/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Are you enrolled in or have you taken English 245 or an English 300-level or above course (excluding creative writing)?
  2. Please provide the context from which your paper or project was created. Briefly describe the assignment for which the paper was written, including whether it was written in response to a specific prompt or to address assignment directions. For example, were you assigned a particular theme, passage, or text to write on, or a problem, research questions, or data set on which to write?
  3. I understand that a cover sheet for my uploaded project or paper must include my full name, my year in school, the course name and number for which the paper or project was written; the instructor's name; and the title of the paper or project. I further understand that my project and cover sheet must be uploaded in PDF format.
  4. Please upload your essay here in PDF format.
  5. (L&S) I authorize the release of information contained in my student records at University of Wisconsin-Madison to the appropriate scholarship selection committee for the purpose of evaluation and scholarship award selection. This can include high school, other institution, and UW-Madison course and grade information; UW-Madison academic and non-academic actions; test scores; admissions application content and financial aid information.