Coakley Ames Writing Excellence Award

The Department of Writing Studies is pleased to announce the Coakley Ames Writing Award for students interested in improving their writing through advanced study. This award is made possible by a generous donation from the Coakley Ames family who supports improvement in student writing at the University of Minnesota.

Application Deadline

TBA, November 2023

Value

Two $2,500 awards

Eligibility

Applicants for this award:

  • must be a technical writing & communication major with at least one semester of coursework remaining.
  • must have taken at least six credits of writing courses (including first-year writing or writing intensive courses) with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in those classes.
  • must be registered full time during the following spring semester at the University of Minnesota.

Funds will be awarded spring semester 2024. If the recipient of the award currently receives financial aid through the University of Minnesota, the award will be applied toward the student’s financial aid.

Application

All submissions collected by TBA will be considered for both the Coakley Ames award and the Mikelonis award.

To apply for the award, submit the following:

  • An academic writing sample from a previous class (minimum of five pages).
  • A one-page statement explaining your interest in the TWC major, how you hope to improve your writing through advanced study in TWC, and your goals as a major.
  • An unofficial copy of your transcript.

Submit your application

Contact writ@umn.edu with any questions about the award.

Past Recipients

  • 2023: Hannah Hanson and Joshua Hebeisen
  • 2022: Livie Hanousek and Rosemarie Lam
  • 2021: Maximilian Bechtold and Jaclyn Willems
  • 2020: Melissa Baker and Alexandra Finley
  • 2019: Liv Riggins and Shane Rose
  • 2018: Chris Lemke and Nathan Rockershousen
  • 2017: Paige Harker and Jacqueline Laliberte
  • 2016: Caitlin Shirk and Alicia Wilson
  • 2015: John Orzechowski and Stephanie Ales
  • 2014: Mary C. Stokes and Alexa Keenan
  • 2013: Heidi Cameron and Carah Kucharski
  • 2012: Phillip Stubbs and Frank Liang
  • 2011: Andrea Daughtery, Alison Seacord, Micah Sandberg-Spieler, and Jennifer Nicklay