The Cultural Studies Program is pleased to accept submissions for the Brantlinger-Naremore Prize for best graduate essay in Cultural Studies. Submissions must be written in either the Spring or Fall semester of one calendar year (e.g. the 2026 Essay Prize will be offered for essays written in Spring 25 or Fall 25).

The Brantlinger-Naremore Prize recognizes an essay written by a graduate student that offers a serious engagement with issues in the field of Cultural Studies either at the theoretical level or by modeling analyses of cultural artifacts and processes. Only essays that have been written for joint-listed cultural studies graduate classes are eligible for submission.

First prize consists of a $1000 award, and a second prize consists of a $500 award (to be paid to students’ bursar account via IU Scholarships).

Submissions can be submitted anytime between November 15th and March 5th by uploading the essay, a cover letter, and the name and email address of a faculty member willing to provide a brief letter in support of your application to IU Scholarships. Students are encouraged to self-nominate, in which case they should talk directly to the faculty member to solicit a letter of support.

Please note that the main IU Scholarships page requires you to fill out a basic "application" before you can search for our award in the system. For more information about how to fill out this form as a graduate student, please see these instructions.

Awardees will be notified by mid-March and invited to present their winning essays on a special panel. They will also be honored at the final Culture Nights lecture of the semester.

Please be aware that the awards are processed as fellowships via SIS. If an award recipient has any bursar balance due at the time of processing, award funds will very likely go to pay that balance first, and the full amount of the award may no longer be available. We urge recipients to work with their fiscal officers on the timing of award processing.

All awards are subject to university restrictions and regulations.