The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies’ (LA&PS) Department of English presented its annual English Awards – representing prizes and scholarships – to students who produced exemplary essays during their studies.
This year's 14 recipients, who were recognized at a Feb. 3 ceremony, represent the 21st cohort of winners since the English Awards were created. Over that time, the awards have not only served to recognize exceptional academic work, but inspire future students to create similar high-quality writing through an online catalogue of award-winning essays that the Department of English has maintained since 2023.
The English Awards also serve as recognition of significant members of the York community, as several of the prizes were established in honour of former or retired faculty members, with one created by a former Chancellor of York University, Avie Bennett.
Each year the award-winning essays address a range of academic interests and subjects, reflecting the diverse perspectives of students carving out the unique views they have on the materials they engage with throughout their studies at York. Past essays have linked classical texts like Oedipus Rex to modern class struggles, explored the horrors of nature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, compared the work of James Baldwin with the autobiography of a fugitive slave before the American Civil War, and more.
The winner of this year's English Awards explore a similar broad range of ideas. One essay considers how spaces in Kim's Convenience and Da Kink in My Hair are reflective of cultural specificity or universality; another essay explores how William Shakespeare's King Lear was adapted into a classic film set in 16th century Japan; another looks to connect female characters in two seminal Canadians plays, Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations and Tomson Highway's The Rez Sisters.
Collectively, the award's winners highlight the unique, inventive work being done by York students as they engage with course materials, and feel inspired to dig deeper.
The full list of this year’s English Awards winners include:
Avie Bennett Prize in Canadian Literature
The award recognizes the best essay in Canadian Literature.
Winner: Adelvida Lomibao.
Essay: “Managing Cultural Specificity and Universality in Trey Anthony’s Da Kink in My Hair and Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience.”
Brian Hepworth Memorial Prize
The award recognizes the best essay on a subject from English literature between 1660 and 1800.
Winner: Joseph Sereney.
Essay: “The Typography of Feeling: Sentiment and Print Materiality in Sterne and Sancho.”
Department of English Retirees’ Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to a top student majoring or minoring in English based on academic performance.
Winner: Merin George.
Elizabeth Sabiston Prize
The prize is awarded for outstanding academic writing in a first- or second-year English or humanities course.
Winner: Adelvida Lomibao.
Essay: “Working on Blood Relations and The Rez Sisters with an Axe and a Hammer.”
H.K. Girling Literature Prize
The award recognizes an outstanding essay in a 2000- or 3000-level English course, with demonstrated commitment to literature.
Winner: Stephanie Kwan.
Essays: “No Gods of Kings, Only Men: A Performance Review for Stratford’s Richard II” and “You Are Your Own Voyeur: A Performance Review for Stratford’s Much Ado About Nothing.”
June McMaster-Harrison Memorial Prize
The prize is given to the finest written work in a 3000- or 4000-level English course, focusing on literary theory, Romantic literature, or interdisciplinary studies.
Winner: Zhen Sharman.
Essay: “Of My First Disobedience.”
Lucille Herbert Memorial Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to an English major who has demonstrated academic excellence and financial need.
Winner: Julia Usher.
Matthew Ahern Memorial Prize
The award recognizes exceptional promise in English studies, particularly in creative writing.
Winner: Aron Belick.
Stephanie Stavro Scholarship in English
The scholarship is awarded to an English major based on academic excellence and financial need.
Winner: Sumaya Abdulkarim.
Best 1000-Level Essay Prize
Winner: Thelma McIntyre Middleton.
Essay: “A Journey Through the Past: Reckoning with the Literary Canon in Rich's Diving Into the Wreck.”
Best 2000-Level Essay Prize
Winner: Phoebe Good.
Essay: “Constructing and reshaping the future: The purpose of art in regards to Butler, Ngugi, and showcased by Landscape of the Fall of Icarus.”
Best 3000-Level Essay Prize
Winner: Patrick Santarsia.
Essay: “The House Always Wins: How Cigarettes in Passing by Nella Larsen and Nevada by Imogen Binnie Represent Women’s Attempt to Explore Their Sexuality Through Patriarchy.”
Best 3000-Level Essay Prize (Honourable Mention)
Winner: Suzzanne Bakr.
Essay: “Mountain Temples (A Creative Piece Inspired by The Poet X and Dirty Diamonds).”
Best 4000-Level Essay Prize
Winner: Deea Deb.
Essay: “Nowhere, Yet Somewhere: Recontextualizing Shakespeare's King Lear into Akira Kurosawa's Ran.”
English Department Teaching Assistants’ Award for Excellence
The award recognizes a teaching assistant for outstanding teaching performance and dedication to student learning.
Winner: Salman Akhtar.
Visit the English Department’s website to learn more about the English Awards and see where winning essays will be preserved in the English Undergraduate Essay Prize Collection online.
With files by Jessica Kubin.