The Applebaum Award is conferred on a Yale College senior for an outstanding essay based on research done in the collections of the University Library's Government Documents & Information Center.

Manuscripts and Archives offers two student prizes each year.  One is awarded for an outstanding senior essay on Yale.  The second is awarded for an outstanding senior essay based on research done in Manuscripts and Archives.  Each student will receive a $500 cash prize, which will be presented at the student's residential college commencement ceremony.

Essays from any department are eligible for consideration and students are invited to nominate themselves for these prizes. Entry details are available here or you may contact William Massa, Head of Public Services, Manuscripts and Archives.  The entry form indicates a student's intention to submit an essay for consideration.  This should be returned by April 5.   Students must send an electronic copy of their completed essay to William Massa on or before 4 p.m., Friday, April 19.

Van Sinderen Book Collecting Prize

In order to encourage undergraduates to collect books, build their own libraries, and read for pleasure and education, the late Adrian Van Sinderen, class of 1910, endowed two prizes in 1957, one for seniors and one for sophomores. The Senior Prize is now $1,000, the Sophomore Prize $700. Prizes for Honorable Mention are occasionally awarded at the discretion of the judges.  The prize is administered by the Office of the Secretary and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  For more information, visit the Van Sinderen Prize web site.

Bollingen Prize for Poetry

Established by Paul Mellon in 1948 and administered by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Bollingen Prize for Poetry has been a force in shaping contemporary American letters. Early Bollingen Prize winners—Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, E.E. Cummings, to name a few—are today widely considered to be writers whose work defined a new American literature of the twentieth century. More recent winners—John Ashbery, Robert Creeley, Louise Glück, Anthony Hecht, John Hollander, Stanley Kunitz, W.S. Merwin, Gary Snyder, Mark Strand, and Richard Wilbur—represent an exciting stylistic diversity in American writing.

The Bollingen Prize for Poetry is awarded every two years for the best volume of poetry published in those years or for a poet's lifetime achievement in his or her art.  Applications for the prize are not considered.  For more information, visit the Bollingen Prize web site.

Beinecke Library Prize in Early Modern European Studies

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library offers an annual prize of $200 to the Yale undergraduate senior essay which best makes use of primary sources in the Library's holdings of British and European printed and manuscript materials from 1500–1800. Essayists who have drawn on Beinecke early modern British and European resources in their projects are encouraged to submit their essays for consideration. For more information contact Kathryn James, Assistant Curator for Early Modern Books and Manuscripts, at kathryn.james@yale.edu.

The Library Map Prize

Established in 1949 with an endowment from Mrs. Arthur W. Butler of New York City, the prize is offered annually to the student who makes the best use of maps in his/her Senior Essay or its equivalent.  To enter your Senior Essay for consideration, simply submit a printed hardcopy to the Map Department Head, Abraham Parrish, on or before April 27th, 2009.  The winner will be notified by May 11th, 2009.

Howard R. Lamar Prize

William P. MacKinnon, B.A. 1960, and Richard A. MacKinnon, B.A. 1960, established this prize to honor a Yale professor who greatly influenced them. It is awarded annually for the best undergraduate essay on a topic in the history or culture of the North American West. For further information, contact the Curator of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Walter McClintock Prize

Named for Walter McClintock, B.A. 1891, Curator of the McClintock Indian Collection in the University Library 1934-49. To be awarded annually for the best undergraduate essay on a topic in the history or culture of the North American West. For further information, contact the Curator of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

David M. Potter Prize

William P. MacKinnon, B.A. 1960, and Richard A. MacKinnon, B.A. 1960, established this prize to honor a Yale professor who greatly influenced them. It is awarded annually for the best undergraduate essay on a topic in American history or culture. For further information, For further information, contact the Curator of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Lohmann Prizes for Excellence in Undergraduate Printing and Design

The Lohmann Prizes were established in 1967 to honor Carl C. Lohmann, Yale class of 1910, founding member of the Whiffenpoofs and of the Honorable Company of College Printers, life-long typophile, and Secretary of Yale University between 1927 and 1953.  Prizes are awarded by the University Printer annually in celebration of the broad range of undergraduate printing at Yale. Separate categories recognize the graphic excellence of pieces produced in a variety of ways--computer-generated images with laser and electrostatic reproduction as well as the traditional technologies of letterpress, offset, and screen printing. Winning pieces become a permanent part of the Arts Library Special Collections in the University Library. 

Entries are received in the Arts of the Book Collection in early May, and are judged by a panel which includes, but is not limited to, the Curator of the Arts of the Book Collection, the University Printer and Printer Emeritus, as well as  representatives from the Graphic Design Program and the Arts Library.