On April 15, 2024, Sinclair College’s English department will host the annual Spectrum Awards Ceremony. The event is the culmination of various contests intended to observe and celebrate excellence in writing. It will be held at 6 p.m. in the Charity E. Earley Auditorium of Building 12.
The Spectrum Awards honors student essays, nominated by professors, from ENG 1101, 1201, 1131, and creative writing courses. Winners for a variety of essays are chosen by English department faculty.
Awards are distributed for the best expository, literature, research and overall essays. Also, there are awards for Outstanding English Major, Outstanding Creative Writing Major, and Outstanding ELL Student.
The spring ceremony will also host the winners of several other writing competitions, including the Deanna Pickard Poetry Prize, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Poetry Contest, the Gary Mitchner Prize for Formal Poetry, the League for Innovation Writing Contest and the Sinclair Community College Annual Creative Writing Contest.
Submissions for the Sinclair’s Annual Creative Writing Contest are open to the public. Like the Spectrum Awards, works are judged by Sinclair’s English department faculty and a variety of awards are distributed. The categories include High School and Adult poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. A three tier podium is elected for each award, with first place winning $100, second place winning $75, and third place collecting $50. Submissions must be delivered by March 15, 2024.
Sinclair College’s English department prides itself on producing excellent writers. Photo Credit: Canva
The League for Innovation Writing Contest aims to honor writers from community colleges across North America. The first phase of the competition entails local colleges electing a winner, who will move on to the second phase, an international competition. Awards at both levels are based on one of four categories, namely fictional short-story, one-act play, poetry, and personal essay. At the international competition, first, second, and third place awards are distributed in each category, accompanied by $500 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third.
The Gary Mitchner Prize for Formal Poetry consists of poems, nominated by poetry professors, competing for at least $100 in scholarship to Sinclair College. Poems nominated for this award must be formal or traditional in nature. The namesake of this award was the former English department chair and poet laureate of Sinclair College, Gary Mitchner.
The Deanna Pickard Poetry Prize is open to any Sinclair student currently enrolled in this academic year. The prize brings with it a $200 scholarship to Sinclair College. Submissions are due by March 8, 2024.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar Poetry Contest is open to poets in grades K through 12 and adults. Submissions are judged in four categories based on grade: K through five, six through eight, nine through 12, and adults. Poems must be submitted by March 1, 2024. The winner of each category will be recognized at the Spectrum Awards Ceremony and their work will be highlighted in the events booklet.
Overall, the Spectrum Awards Ceremony is a moment for the department and the wider community to reflect on these excellent works in moods of celebration.
Davis Miller, Intern
(Featured Image from Canva)