Writing Awards at UC

Awards for UC and UC-program student.

The following four competitions are open to students enrolled during the academic year in University College or to students from other colleges who are enrolled in University College-sponsored or affiliated courses or programs. Course instructors may enter on behalf of a student. Please first seek the student's consent. To verify college affiliation, you may email uc.programs@utoronto.ca. Entries will automatically be considered in each of the competitions for which they are eligible.

• Established in 2007 in memory of Meyer Greenstein (UC ’40), the Meyer (Mike) Greenstein Memorial Student Award for Writing Excellence offers a single prize of up to $1,000 each year for outstanding writing in an academic essay or creative work.
• Established in 1946 in memory of Norma Epstein (UC ’45), the Norma Epstein Foundation Awards in Creative Writing offer prizes totalling approximately $8,000 each year in the categories of Poetry, Drama, Short Story, and Other Prose. 
• Established in 1948 in memory of Professor Frederic Davidson (UC ’90), the Frederic Davidson Awards offer one prize of $2,000, one of $1,000, and one of $625 each year for any type of academic essay.
• Established in 2019, the Lorne Tepperman Prize in Public Writing offers an annual prize of $1,000 for an outstanding paper on a topic of social significance in Canada aimed at a general audience.

Please note that submissions for the 2025-2026 UC Writing Awards is only open to UC and UC program students.