Literary prizes awarded for work published in 2025
With generous supporters of the literary arts, Prairie Schooner was able to award fifteen writing prizes totaling $8,250 for work published by established and emerging writers in the previous year’s editions.
Skyler Melnick received the $2,000 Lawrence Foundation Award for the best short story published in Prairie Schooner for “Sisterhood of Dirt,” published in the upcoming Fall 2025 issue. This prize is made possible by the Lawrence Foundation of New York City and its late director, Leonard S. Bernstein.
The winner of the $1,500 Glenna Luschei Prairie Schooner Award is Rebecca Lehmann for seven poems published in the Spring 2025 issue. This award is made possible by the generosity of poet, publisher, and philanthropist Glenna Luschei.
Two $500 Virginia Faulkner Awards for Excellence in Writing were given to Morgan Christie for the story “Sapphire Gurl” published in Spring 2025 and Ben Freedman for the story “That Summer” published in Fall 2025. The Faulkner awards are supported by charitable contributions to honor Virginia Faulkner, former editor-in-chief of the University of Nebraska Press and Prairie Schooner fiction editor.
The winner of the $500 Edward Stanley Award is Thomas Kneeland for two poems published in Fall 2025. This award is made possible through charitable contributions from the family of Edward Stanley, a member of the committee that founded Prairie Schooner in 1926.
The 2025 winner of the $500 Bernice Slote Award for the best work by a beginning writer was Luca van der Heide for the story “Halina’s Guest House” published in the Fall 2025 issue. The Slote Award is supported by the estate of Bernice Slote, who worked as a Prairie Schooner editor from 1963-1980.
The Annual Prairie Schooner Strousse Award of $500 for the best poem or group of poems published was awarded to Migwi Mwangifor the poem “Like So, Like So” published in the Fall 2025 issue. The Strousse Award is given in honor of Flora Strousse.
The inaugural winner of the Ervin and Loretta Krause Freedom of Expression Award is Ell Peck for the essay “A Paper Lantern Over the Light: Becoming Blanche DuBois,” published in Fall 2025. This marks the first year of the award, established by Loretta in honor of her husband, Ervin, a distinguished teacher and writer, who fervently believed in academic freedom and fought against censorship in academic publications.
Priyam Goel won the 2025 Hugh J. Luke Award of $250 for “3 White Witches” published in the Winter 2025 issue. The Hugh J. Luke Award was established in memory of Prairie Schooner’s editor from 1980 through 1987.
The $250 Jane Geske Award was given to Carolina Murriel for the essay “Driving My Tías Through Miami” featured in the Spring 2025 issue. This award is provided by Norman Geske in honor of his wife, Jane Geske, a lifelong supporter of Nebraska’s literary arts.
Five writers were awarded annual Glenna Luschei Prairie Schooner Awards for $250 each:
- Fayssal Bensalah for the story “Your Son Is with Pollen and Dust” in Fall 2025
- Virginia Kane for two poems in Winter 2025
- Dominic Russ-Combs for the story “Faith” in Winter 2025
- George Uba for two poems in Spring 2025
- Anthony Yarbrough for the story “Cruiser” in Spring 2025
These awards are made possible through the generosity of Glenna Luschei.
Prairie Schooner is published with support from the University of Nebraska Press, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of English and its Creative Writing Program and the Glenna Luschei Endowed Editorship and Fund for Excellence at Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska Foundation. Subscriptions may be ordered by visiting our online store.
Prairie Schooner welcomes and appreciates gifts in support of its annual prizes. Visit the Nebraska Foundation website here or here to make a gift.