Chestertown, MD, May 16, 2001 — The winner of the Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate literary prize in the nation, will be announced during Washington College's 219th Commencement on Sunday, May 20, 2001. Renowned science fiction writer Ray Bradbury will receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the College and be on hand to congratulate the talented senior who will receive the $62,099 prize. Twenty-two students have submitted portfolios for the competition, the largest number of entries in the history of the prize.
The Sophie Kerr prize was established by the will of the late Sophie Kerr, who began her career as a woman's page editor for the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph and the Pittsburgh Gazette and as managing editor of the Woman's Home Companion. During her lifetime she authored more than 100 stories and 23 novels. Her stories appeared in most of the popular American magazines of the first half of the twentieth century including the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Saturday Review of Literature, McCall's and Newsweek.
Born in Denton, Md., Ms. Kerr used the Eastern Shore of Maryland as the backdrop for many of her stories. In 1942, as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Washington College, she came to campus to accept an honorary degree along with Eleanor Roosevelt. When she died at age 84 her will revealed an abiding regard for her honorary alma mater: she left the bulk of her estate to Washington College. The terms of the will specified that one half of the income from her bequest be awarded every year to the senior showing the most "ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor." During the 34 years that the Sophie Kerr Prize has been awarded its worth has varied from $9,000 to as high as $62,000. It is believed to be the largest undergraduate cash prize in the country and among the largest literary awards in the world. Former Sophie Kerr Prize winners are now published novelists, poets, journalists, editors, and teachers.
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