Student Prizes
The submission period is now open for the McClure, McKinney, and Hallett Smith Prizes.
Gordon McClure Memorial Communications Prizes
This prize is awarded to undergraduate students for excellence in written and oral communication skills. Awards will be given in the following fields: English, history, and philosophy.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE MCCLURE PRIZE
| YEAR | ENGLISH | HISTORY | PHILOSOPHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Elizabeth Won | Luke Kottom | Edward Speer |
| 2024 | Heidi Redmond | Emeka Nkurumeh | Sarah Yuan Ni Liaw |
| 2023 | Shwetha Kunnam | Aramis Mendoza | Lark Mendoza |
| 2022 | Margaret (Maggie) Lee | Elia Gorokhovsky | Elsa Palumbo |
| 2021 | Victoria Liu | Saehui Hwang | Ryan White |
Mary A. Earl McKinney Prize in Literature
The Mary A. Earl McKinney Prize in Literature was established in 1946 by Samuel P. McKinney, M.D., of Los Angeles. Its purpose is to promote proficiency in writing. The terms under which it is given are decided each year by the literature faculty. It may be awarded for essays submitted in connection with regular literature classes or awarded on the basis of a special essay contest.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE MCKINNEY PRIZE
| YEAR | PROSE FICTION | POETRY |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sreeyutha Ratala | Chi Cap |
| 2024 | Joseph Kim | Domani Sharkey |
| 2023 | Darleine Abellard | Margaret (Maggie) Sui |
| 2022 | Margaret (Maggie) Sui | Lily DeBell |
| 2021 | Hrishika Basava |
Shiva Mudide Honorable Mention: Maggie Sui |
Hallett Smith Prize
The Hallett Smith Prize was established in 1997 to commemorate Professor Smith's long career as one of this century's most distinguished Renaissance scholars. The cash prize is given annually by the English faculty to the student who writes the best essay on English literature.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE HALLETT SMITH PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Katherine Avanesov |
| 2024 | Shrishti Pankaj Kulkarni |
| 2023 | Grace Liu |
| 2022 | Shalini Kurinchi-Vendhan |
| 2021 | Andrew Chan |
Rodman W. Paul History Prize
The Rodman W. Paul History Prize was established in 1986 by some of his many colleagues and friends to honor Professor Paul's 35 years of teaching and research at the Institute. The prize is awarded annually to a junior or senior who has shown unusual interest in and talent for history.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE RODMAN PAUL PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Mia Mutadich |
| 2024 | No prize awarded |
| 2023 | Reggy M. Granovskiy |
| 2022 | No prize awarded |
| 2021 | Anirudh Rangaswamy |
Eleanor Searle Prize in Law, Politics, and Institutions
The Eleanor Searle Prize was established in 1999 by friends and colleagues to honor Eleanor Searle, who was the Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of History at Caltech. The prize is awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student whose work in history, or the social sciences exemplifies Eleanor Searle's interests in the use of power, government, and law.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE SEARLE PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Kexin Feng |
| 2024 | Sarah Hashash |
| 2023 | MohammedSaid L. Alhalimi |
| 2022 | Abigail (Abby) Jiang |
| 2021 | Myra Cheng |
David M. Grether Prize in Social Science
The prize rewards outstanding performance and creativity by a Caltech undergraduate who completes one of the social science options. The prize was established by Susan G. Davis in recognition of David M. Grether's contributions to econometrics and experimental economics and his service to the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The prize is awarded annually by a committee of social science faculty.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE GRETHER PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Sulekha Kishore |
| 2024 | Alec Sandroni |
| 2023 | Katherine Chang |
| 2022 | No prize awarded |
| 2021 |
James (Jamie) Vinson Anthony (Tony) Kukavica |
Alexander P. and Adelaide F. Hixon Prize for Writing
The Hixon Prize for Writing was established in 2000 by Alexander P. and Adelaide F. Hixon. The prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate student for the best composition in a first-year humanities course. The prize is administered by the writing center, and the winner is chosen by a committee from the humanities division.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE HIXON PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Mariana Vale Taveira |
| 2024 | Grace Davis |
| 2023 | Vansh Tibrewal |
| 2022 | Avirath (Avi) Sundaresan |
| 2021 | Bradley (Kaulana) Chun |
John O. Ledyard Prize for Graduate Research in Social Science
The prize rewards the best second-year paper by a graduate student in Social Science or Social and Decision Neuroscience. The prize was established by Susan G. Davis in recognition of John O. Ledyard's dedication to developing graduate students as independent researchers and his service to the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The prize is awarded annually by a committee of social science faculty to a sole-authored work.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE LEDYARD PRIZE
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Guillaume Wegmueller |
| 2024 |
Po Hyun Sung Binyamin (Ben) Wincelberg |
| 2023 | Zhenlin Kang |
| 2022 | Ke Shi |
| 2021 | Po Hsuan Lin |
If you are interested in the complete list of winners, please contact [email protected].