MCW Alumni Awards & Honors
Listed alphabetically by award.
5 under 35 National Book Foundation Award
- 2021 Nathan Harris (MCW 2020)
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
- 2022 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), The Renunciations
American Short(er) Fiction Award
- 2024 John McManus (MCW 2004)
Anna Rabinowitz Award, Poetry Society of America
- 2023 Farid Matuk (MCW 2004)
Austin Film Festival New Voices Award
- 2024 Rachel Kondo (MCW 2016)
Australia Prime Minister’s Award for Poetry
- 2024 Gavin Yuan Gao (MCW 2025)
Best American Short Stories
- 2024 Taisia Kitaiskaia (MCW 2015), The Engelond
CAPE New Writers Fellowship
- 2020 Sam Boyer (MCW 2019)
Caine Prize for African Writing
- 2015 F.T. (Fatima) Kola (MCW 2017), A Party for the Colonel (Shortlist)
Cave Canem Poetry Prize
- 2015 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
Darrel Ayers National Playwriting Award Second Prize
- 2018 Cecelia Raker (MCW 2020)
Edgar Award, Best First Novel
- 2017 Flynn Berry (MCW 2014), Under the Harrow
Fellowship, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- 2016 Kelly Luce (MCW 2015)
- 2010 Anna Maria Hong (MCW 2002)
Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction
- 2023 Iheoma Nwachukwu (MCW 2014)
Forbes 30 Under 30
- 2024 Lauren Aliza Green (MCW 2021)
Fulbright Awards
- 2020 Jenny Browne (MCW 2007)
- 2014 John McManus (MCW 2004)
- 2013 Catherine Rogers (MCW 1994)
- 2012 Paz Pardo (MCW 2018)
- 2009 Catherine Rogers (MCW 1994)
Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
- 2023 Tawanda Mulalu (MCW 2026)
Guggenheim Fellowships
- 2023 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
- 2023 James Hannaham (MCW 2006)
- 2020 Michael Dickman (MCW 2005)
- 2017 Carson Kreitzer (MCW 2006)
- 2017 Emily Rapp Black (MCW 2004)
- 2015 Matthew Dickman (MCW 2005)
- 2015 Kevin Powers (MCW 2012)
- 2010 Philipp Meyer (MCW 2008)
Harry Ransom Center Research Fellow
- 2025 Lara Palmqvist (MCW 2024)
Hodder Fellowship, Princeton University
- 2014 Gabriel Dean (MCW 2012)
- 2014 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
- 2009 Michael Dickman (MCW 2005)
- 2002 Marlys West (MCW 1997)
Humanitas Screenwriting Award
- 2024 Lara Palmqvist (MCW 2024)
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
- 2020 Ladan Osman (MCW 2010), Exiles of Eden
- 2017 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
International DUBLIN Literary Award Longlist
- 2016 Smith Henderson (MCW 2009), Fourth of July Creek
International Dylan Thomas Prize
- 2017 Fiona McFarlane (MCW 2012), The High Places
James Laughlin Award, Academy of American Poets
- 2010 Michael Dickman (MCW 2005), Flies
Jerome Fellowship, Playwrites Center
- 2023-2025 Paul Kruse (MCW 2020)
Jesse H. Jones Award
- 2024 Dominic Smith (MCW 2003), Return to Valetto
Kate Tufts Discovery Award
- 2018 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
Kingsley Tufts
- 2023 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
Lambda Literary Award
- 2021 Alex Ohlin (MCW 2001), We Want What We Want
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
- 2017 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
- 2024 Greg Marshall (MCW 2013), Leg
Lannan Literary Fellowship
- 2010 Michael McGriff (MCW 2006)
Locus Award for Best Anthology
- 2025 Desiree S. Evans (MCW 2020), The Black Girl Survives in this One
Man Booker Prize Longlist
- 2016 Virginia Reeves (MCW 2012), Work Like Any Other
Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers
- 2025 Monica Macansantos (MCW 2013)
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award Longlist
- 2025 Lauren Aliza Green (MCW 2021), The World After Alice
Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting Second Prize
- 2019 Sam Mayer (MCW 2021)
Miles Franklin Literary Award (Australia) Shortlist
- 2014 Fiona McFarlane (MCW 2012), The Night Guest
National Book Award Finalist
- 2024 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010), Best Barbarian
- 2016 Karan Mahajan (MCW 2015), The Association of Small Bombs
- 2016 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
- 2012 Kevin Powers (MCW 2012), The Yellow Birds
National Book Critics Circle Finalist
- 2021 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), The Renunciations
National Endowment of the Arts Fellowships/Grants
- 2023 Bradley Trumpheffler (MCW 2023)
- 2022 Rachel Heng (MCW 2020)
- 2020 Greg Marshall (MCW 2013)
- 2014 sam sax (MCW 2016)
- 2014 Carolina Ebeid (MCW 2012)
- 2013 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
- 2013 Miriam Bird Greenberg (MCW 2008)
- 2013 Jenny Browne (MCW 2007)
- 2011 Carson Kreitzer (MCW 2006)
- 2009 Michael McGriff (MCW 2006)
- 2003 Marlys West (MCW 1997)
- 2002 Joseph Skibell (MCW 1996)
National Poetry Series
- 2022 Daniel Ruiz (MCW 2020), Reasons for the Dark to Be Afraid (Finalist)
- 2016 sam sax (MCW 2016), Madness
- 2009 Carrie Fountain (MCW 2004), Burn Lake
- 2005 Steve Gehrke (MCW 2002), Michelangelo’s Seizure
National Translation Award
- 2020 Hedgie Choi (MCW 2021)
- 2020 Seon Seo (MCW 2021)
Nicholl Fellowship
- 2023 Semifinalist: Lara Palmqvist (MCW 2024), The Garden
- 2022 Sam Boyer (MCW 2019)
O. Henry Best Short Story
- 2021 Sindya Bhanoo (MCW 2019)
Oprah’s Book Club Selection
- 2021 Nathan Harris (MCW 2020), The Sweetness of Water
Outstanding UT Alumnus
- 2011 Abhijat Joshi (MCW 2002)
PEN Emerging Writers Award in Fiction
- 2011 Smith Henderson (MCW 2009), Number Stations
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
- 2016 James Hannaham (MCW 2006), Delicious Foods
PEN/Hemingway Award for First Fiction
- 2013 Kevin Powers (MCW 2012), The Yellow Birds
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection Finalist
- 2025 Iheoma Nwachukwu (MCW 2014), Japa and Other Stories
- 2021 Sindya Bhanoo (MCW 2019), Seeking Fortune Elsewhere
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection Finalist
- 2023 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010), Best Barvarian
Playwrights’ Center Fellowship Runner-Up
- 2025 Jaymes Sanchez (MCW 2022), A Plausible History of Xicotencatl II
Poetry Society of America Award
- 2021 Lauren Aliza Green (MCW 2021)
Publishing Triangle Award
- 2017 Donika Kelly (MCW 2008), Bestiary
Pulitzer Prize Finalist
- 2014 Philipp Meyer (MCW 2008), The Son
Randy Shilts Award
- 2024 Greg Marshall (MCW 2013), Leg
Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellowship at WICW
- 2024 Chessy Normile (MCW 2019)
Ruth Lilly Fellowship in Poetry
- 2018 sam sax (MCW 2016)
- 2010 Miriam Bird Greenberg (MCW 2008)
- 2009 Malachi Black (MCW 2010)
- 2008 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
- 2005 Michael McGriff (MCW 2006)
Shearing Fellowship (Black Mountain Institute)
- 2024 Monica Macansantos (MCW 2013)
Sillerman First Book Prize
- 2014 Ladan Osman (MCW 2010), The Kitchen-Dweller’s Testimony
Sloan Student Discovery Prize
- 2023 Lara Palmqvist (MCW 2024), The Garden
United States Artists Fellowship
- 2024 Farid Matuk (MCW 2004)
- 2011 Kirk Lynn (MCW 2004) – Jeanne & Michael Klein Fellow in Theatre Arts
UK Guardian First Book Prize
- 2014 Fiona McFarlane (MCW 2012), The Night Guest (Shortlist)
- 2012 Kevin Powers (MCW 2012), The Yellow Birds
Van Lier Fellow and Jerome Fellow
- 2024 Minghao Tu (MCW 2020)
Voss Literary Prize (Australia)
- 2014 Fiona McFarlane (MCW 2012), The Night Guest
Wallace Stegner Fellowship, Stanford University
- 2023 Luci Arbus-Scandiffo (MCW 2023)
- 2021 Jackson Holbert (MCW 2021)
- 2020 Shangyang Fang (MCW 2020)
- 2019 F. T. Kola (MCW 2017)
- 2018 sam sax (MCW 2016)
- 2017 Jacob Albert (MCW 2017)
- 2017 Darrow Farr (MCW 2017)
- 2010 Miriam Bird Greenberg (MCW 2008)
- 2006 Michael McGriff (MCW 2006)
- 2003 Bruce Snider (MCW 1996)
- 1994 Arthur Bradford (MCW 1998)
Washington State Book Award Finalist
- 2024 Dominic Smith (MCW 2003), Return to Valetto
Whiting Award
- 2024 Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (MCW 2009)
- 2021 Ladan Osman (MCW 2010)
- 2015 Roger Reeves (MCW 2010)
Yale Drama Prize
- 2009 Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (MCW 2009), Lidless