Writing Programs Awards

Award Medallion
Awards History
Joan Webber Award
Richard J. Dunn Award
PWR DEI Collaboration Grants

Writing Program Teaching Awards

Awards History

Each spring, the Writing Programs Award Committee grants two teaching awards to graduate students teaching in English Department Writing Programs. All qualified instructors, as specified below, are eligible to apply for these awards. Both awards include a cash prize.

The Joan Webber Award for Outstanding Teaching by Graduate Students in English Department Writing Programs honors outstanding teaching by graduate students teaching in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (English 109/110, 111, 121, 131, 182, 281, 282, 381, 382) or the Program in Writing Across Campus (197, 198, 199, 297, 298, 299). The annual Webber Prize for Outstanding Teaching was established in 1980 to honor Joan Malory Webber’s commitment to both scholarship and teaching. Webber, a member of the UW Department of English from 1972 until her death in 1978, was known for her deep devotion to teaching and for inspiring her students. All graduate students who have taught one of the courses listed above within two years are eligible to apply for this award. 

The Richard J. Dunn First-Year Teaching Award honors outstanding teaching by a graduate student in their first year of teaching in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR). The annual Dunn First-Year Teaching Award was established to honor Dick Dunn’s devotion to scholarship, teaching and service. In 2007, Dunn retired from the University leaving a strong legacy to the English Department as Chair for three terms and Divisional Dean for five years. Influencing both graduate and undergraduate students, Dick Dunn challenged students to engross themselves in their work. All graduate students who began teaching in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric during the current academic year are eligible to apply for this award. 

Teaching Award Application Guidelines

Selection of winners for both the Webber and the Dunn awards will be based on a review of teaching portfolios by a faculty-only subcommittee of the Writing Program Awards Committee. Announcements and more details are circulated in early spring quarter. Questions can be sent to either the PWAC Director or the PWR Director.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collaboration Grants. In the 2017 Autumn Quarter, the Program in Writing and Rhetoric received a seed grant from the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity to create a series of research clusters and grant opportunities for graduate instructors across the English department writing programs. From this seed grant, the PWR administrative team, led by then-director Candice Rai, created the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Collaboration Grant initiatve and funded five collaborative group projects that focused on developing composition curriculum, teacher resources, and/or research initiatives that center issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the writing classroom. Additionally, these grants sought to foster collaboration, conversation, and community among writing teachers invested in these issues and to generate resources that contribute to equity work within our teaching community.

After a successful first year, PWR has continued to offer this grant opportunity, funding projects that focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. PWR invites proposals for a wide-range of collaborations, projects, and group configurations on a rolling basis. To apply, submit a proposal to the PWR Director and the PWR administrative team will work with proposers on their ideas. Past funded grants are listed below.

Teaching Award Winners

Joan Webber Award

2023 Winner: Angel Garduño
Honorable Mentions: Alycia Gilbert; Alexandra Meany

2022 Winner: MiSun Bishop
Honorable Mentions: Alec Fisher; Sarah Ghasedi

2021 Winner: Anselma Prihandita
Honorable Mention: Shelby Handler; Alexandra Meany

2020 Winner: Sumyat Thu
Honorable Mention: Sarah Ghasedi; Jessica Holmes

2019 Winner: Leah Rubinsky; Yang Wang

2018 Winner: Denise Grollmus
Honorable Mention: Olivia Hernandez; Jessica Holmes

2016 Winner: Jacki Fiscus; Alexandra Smith

2015 Winner: Emily George; Holly Shelton

2014 Winner: Sarah Kate Moore; Jennifer Carroll

2013 Winner: Erik Jaccard
Honorable Mention: Edward Schaumberg

2012 Winner: Meredith Bauer

2011 Winner: Jennifer Malone
Honorable Mention: David Holmberg; Ariel Wetzel

2010 Winner: Cathryn Cabral

To see the full list of winners, go to the following link

Richard J. Dunn Award

2023 Winner: Sikose Mjali
Honorable Mention: Andres Ayala-Patlan; Maggie Gruenwald

2022 Winner: Marina Bydalek; Emily Giangiulio
Honorable Mention: Kaelah Rose

2021 Winner: Taiko Aoki-Marcial
Honorable Mention: Micaela Chávez; Yixuan Jiang

2020 Winner: Francesca Colonnese; Rasheena Fountain
Honorable Mention: Joseph Wilson

2019 Winner: Kaelie Giffel
Honorable Mention: BrittNEY Frantece

2018 Winner: drew hereford
Honorable Mention: Nanya Jhingran; Jasmine Khaliq

2016 Winner: Elliott Lovett

2015 Winner: Patrick Milian; Laura Schlesinger

2014 Winner: Sarah Faulkner; Denise Grollmus
Honorable Mention: Emily George

2013 Winner: Ann Shivers-McNair
Honorable Mention: Jacki Fiscus; Eric Morel

2012 Winner: Tesla Schaeffer
Honorable Mention: Nicole Peters

2011 Winner: Taylor Boulware; Mandy Hobmeier
Honorable Mention: Ned Schaumberg; Kristen Young

2010 Winner: Valerie Arvidson; Jennifer Malone
Honorable Mention: Talia Shalev

To see the full list of winners, go to the following link

PWR Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collaboration Grants

Below you will find links to the projects that have been funded through this initative:

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