The Calista Cumings Award

An ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ schoolteacher who taught math with poetry, Calista Cumings created and edited ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s earliest successful literary magazine, The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Offering. Working with limited assistance, inadequate funding, and an inexperienced local publishing industry, she provided a forum for Midwestern authors to exchange original literature in 1849 and 1850. Her magazine only survived for twelve monthly numbers, but Cumings' editorial work, characterized by a “clear head” and a “kind heart,” was fondly remembered for many decades.

Prize: TBD, but historically:

  • Undergraduate: $100

  • Graduate: $100

Who can enter:

  • All UA graduate and undergraduate students.

Submission Guidelines:

  • ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ must submit a paper on a topic in American Literature before 1900. The paper must be written for a class during the preceding academic year.
  • Cover sheet must include student name, email address, student ID number, and class for which the paper was written.
  • ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ must use a header with page numbers and last name of the student on each page.
  • The paper must be double-spaced in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman.
  • Save the title of your document in “LAST NAME-Award Title” format (for example, SMITH-Cumings Award).
  • Upload your document in PDF form.
  • This award is not open for submissions at this time.