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 2024 Essay Prize will be offered for essays written in Spring 24 or Fall 24).

WE CAN NOW CONFIRM THAT THE 2024 ESSAY PRIZE IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS! Thank you for your patience! Please see details below for our NEW SUBMISSION METHOD! 

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. 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.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED YOUR APPLICATION VIA EMAIL, PLEASE RESUBMIT IT! We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and will attempt to notify you personally.

Awardees will be notified by early March and invited to present their winning essays on a special panel. They will also be honored at the End of Year party to be held at The Bishop.

Total awards for any student will be capped at $1000 per year.

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.