The Department of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is accepting submissions for its 61st annual writing contest. All spring 2026 full-time Illinois Tech undergraduate students (students who are currently taking at least 12-credit hours) are invited to submit original pieces of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, one-act plays, freshman essays, and philosophy.
Winners will be announced on or after Wednesday, April 9, 2026, on the Lewis College of Science and Letters website. An in-person awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 12:45–1:45 p.m. For more details, including the official entry form and contest rules, visit www.iit.edu/hass/research-and-creative-projects/annual-writing-contest or contact hass@illinoistech.edu.
All submissions due by March 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Prizes*
- 1st Prize: $300
- 2nd Prize: $200
- 3rd Prize: $100
Categories
- Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Fiction
- Edwin H. Lewis Prize for Nonfiction
- Henry and Myrna Knepler Freshman Essay prize
- Mollie Cohen Poetry Prize
- Warren Schmaus Prize for Philosophy Writing**
(*) Prizes will be awarded in the form of PNC Bank Visa gift cards, which can be used anywhere that Visa cards are accepted.
(**) There is only one first place prize for $150 for the Warren Schmaus Prize.