The UMass Writing Program is pleased to announce the winners of the Best Text Contest for 2023.

The Marcia Curtis Best Text Contest for Writing, Identity, and Power (Englwrit 111) honors Marcia Curtis’ contributions to the Writing Program and its Englwrit 111 course. Curtis served as a teacher and administrator in the Writing Program for more than two decades, leading the Program as Director from 2000 to 2003 and making essential contributions to the Program that are still seen today. During her time in the Writing Program, Curtis, along with Anne Herrington, was instrumental in the development of Englwrit 111. In 1990, Curtis helped redesign Englwrit 111 in order to better represent the diversity of students at UMass and allow students to share their voices.

The Charles Moran Best Text Contest for College Writing (Englwrit 112/112H) and Junior Year Writing courses honors Charles Moran, the founding director of the Writing Program, who served in that capacity from 1982 to 1990. He created the Program around many of the principles that still guide it today. He was particularly dedicated to student writing being the primary text of a writing course and ensuring that students have an audience beyond just the teacher. To that end, he firmly believed in publishing and celebrating student work. In that tradition, the Writing Program highlights student essays in both the Student Writing Anthology (SWA, used in College Writing courses) and the Best Text Contest awards given in his name.

Marcia Curtis Best Text Award for Writing, Power, & Identity – ENGLWRIT 111

First Place:

• Gloria Joung, “Colliding Words”
• Fenghao Yu, “Embracing the Literacy: A Celebration of Diversity”

Second Place:

• Kamalini Balamurugan, "My Khichdi language"
• Michael Ye, “Lost In My Own Language: My Relationship With Chinese”

Third Place: Tanush Santosh Deshpande, "Whispers of A Young Writer: Influence of My First Childhood Novel"

Honorable Mention:

• Sylvia Chen, "Two Kinds of Special Languages in Film Studies"
• Luke Kenawell, "The Importance of the Therapy Discourse"

Charles Moran Best Text Award for College Writing – ENGLWRIT112/112H

First Place: Olivia Soolman, “Importance of Intersectionality in Discussions of Menstrual Injustice and Period Poverty in the United States”

Second Place: Tiffany Njugi, “Black Women Maternal Mortality and Health Disparity Crisis”

Third Place: Anna Lin, “Preserving the World’s Truths Letter to the United Nations’ Secretary General”

Honorable Mention:

• Rebecca Steere, “Social Media Influences Restrictive Eating Disorders”
• Nina Lei, “COVID-19 and Racism: A Dual Pandemic and the Mental Health of Asian American Youth”
• DJ Chase, “Trout Fishing in Massachusetts: How to Support Sustainable Fishing”

Charles Moran Best Text Award for College Writing (Multimodal) – ENGLWRIT112/112H

First Place: Tung Viet Le, “Biomimicry throughout History”

Second Place: Declan Carroll, “Horror Movies Are Vital”

Third Place: Hallie Farmer, “Gender Expression in Relation to Sexual Assault”

Honorable Mention: Fatima Anjum, “The ‘Evergreen’ Hills”

Charles Moran Best Text Award for Junior Year Writing

Best Short:

• Erica Larsen, “Foundation Chain”
• Jennifer Nadig, “Umma”

Best Long: Savni Sarolkar, ““Call the Midwife”:  An Argument Against the Medicalization of Pregnancy and Childbirth”

Best Multimodal: Sophia He, “Final Consonant Cluster Reduction in African American English”

Thank you to all who submitted, and congratulations to this year's winners!