Creative Writing Scholarship Submissions
Submissions to UND's Creative Writing Scholarships are currently closed. Scholarship submissions will re-open in the 2025–26 academic year, from October 1, 2025, to March 1, 2026.
The UND English Department is pleased to sponsor three creative writing scholarships for current UND students. The Creative Writing Scholarships celebrate the vision and talent of our literary community, and showcase the vibrant and vital role of the arts in student life at UND.
All UND undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit work for the John Little Fiction Scholarship and the Thomas McGrath Award (Poetry). The Gladys Boen Scholarship is open exclusively to undergraduate English majors enrolled at UND.
To be eligible for the Creative Writing Scholarships, you must . . .
- Be currently enrolled as a UND student, and plan to enroll in the fall semester of the following academic year.
- Have a complete, general scholarship application in Scholarship Central.
- Submit your creative work through the forms below.
If selected as a winner or a runner-up for one or more of the scholarships, you agree to have your submissions published in the spring issue of Floodwall, UND's student-run literary magazine. Scholarship recipients are announced and celebrated during the Floodwall publication event at the end of the spring semester.
If you would like your work to be considered for regular publication in Floodwall, please check out the guidelines on the General Submissions page.
The John Little Fiction Scholarship will be given to the student whose fiction is judged best. The competition is open graduate students and undergraduate students enrolled during the spring semester.
Fiction submissions for this year's John Little Fiction Scholarship must be double-spaced and should not exceed 6,000 words in length. Writers may submit a single short story, or a packet of up to 3 flash fictions. Please include all pieces in a single Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file.
Submissions will be open from October 1 to March 1 each academic year. When submissions are open, you will see a "Submit" button on this tab to access the submission form for the John Little Fiction Scholarship. You will need to sign into the form using your NDUS credentials (firstname.lastname@ndus.edu).
Submit your work for the John Little Fiction Scholarship here:
The Thomas McGrath Award will be given to the student whose poem or group of poems is judged best. The competition is open to graduate students and undergraduate students enrolled during the spring semester.
Poets are welcome to submit a single poem, or a packet of up to 3 poems. The entire submission should not exceed 5 pages. Please include all pieces in a single Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file.
Submissions will be open from October 1 to March 1 each academic year. When submissions are open, you will see a "Submit" button on this tab to access the submission form for the Thomas McGrath Award. You will need to sign into the form using your NDUS credentials (firstname.lastname@ndus.edu).
Submit your work for the Thomas McGrath Award in Poetry here:
The Gladys Boen Scholarship will be made for the best short story, poem or collection of poems, or essay submitted by an undergraduate English major currently enrolled at the university. The award is given with the intention of encouraging outstanding creative and critical writing, particularly by freshmen and sophomores.
Undergraduate writers are welcome to submit a short story or an essay under 6,000 words, a single poem, or a packet of up to 3 poems. Please submit work in a single Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file only.
Submissions will be open from October 1 to March 1 each academic year. When submissions are open, you will see a "Submit" button on this tab to access the submission form for the Gladys Boen Scholarship. You will need to sign into the form using your NDUS credentials (firstname.lastname@ndus.edu).
Submit your work to the Gladys Boen Scholarship here: