Dressler Family Traveling Grant:
The gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Dressler to establish a traveling grant designated for sophomores and juniors to travel and study in the Romance language countries (e.g. France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Latin America). This grant is to be awarded at the discretion of the Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, based on the recommendation of a selection committee. The purpose of the grant is to afford students who have completed at least one course in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard the opportunity to travel and study in these countries in order to further their understanding of language, literature, politics, history, culture, etc. Financial need is a requirement for application. Please click here for more information and here for the application in PDF format. The 2008 winner: George Vidal (Neurobiology, '09).

Application deadline: Friday, February 27, 2009, no later than 5 p.m.

FRENCH:

Jeremy Belknap Prize:
This prize is for the best French composition written by a first-year undergraduate student. The competition is open only to first-years who, at admission, have met the foreign language requirement in French, provided that have not had exceptional opportunities for acquiring the language that would thus place them at an unfair advantage. For more information, please click here. The 2008 winners: Julia Arnous, '11 (first place); Tess Hellgren, '11 (second place).

Deadline: Thursday, April 16, 2009 (sign up); Friday, April 17, 2009 (essay submissions).

ITALIAN:

Teodoro Raffaele Diaco Memorial Grant for Study in Italy:
Open to all Harvard undergraduates interested in summer study in Italy. The Italian section of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures has received a generous gift from the Diaco family, honoring the memory of Teodoro Raffaele Diaco, to support Harvard College undergraduates who wish to conduct summer study in Italy in the Italian language. Since Mr. Diaco was orginally from Calabria, his family has stipulated that preference be given to support Harvard students studying at the De Rada Institute in Calabria, Italy, though a number of grants have been awarded to students in the Harvard Summer Abroad Program in Abbruzzo. The grant monies are awarded based on financial need (primary) and merit. Winner(s) will be asked to write a brief letter to the Diaco family describing their experience in Italy. The number and amount of the awards vary from year to year. Last year's prizes (6 in all) ranged from $1500 to $4000.

Deadline for application for a 2009 Teodoro Raffaele Diacco grant is Monday, March 2, 2009. Further information is available at www.fas.harvard.edu/~edifabio/Diaco.html or you can contact Prof. Di Fabio.

PORTUGUESE:

Cecília Meireles Prize: This prize is for the best paper, written in Portuguese by an undergraduate student, about Brazilian culture or literature. The paper must have been submitted as a requirement to one of the courses offered at the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. One prize of $ 200 will be awarded. 2008 winner: Miles Johnson, Social Studies '08.

Deadline for submissions: Friday, April 24, 2009. For further information, please contact Walter Hryshko, Assistant to the Board of Undergraduate Studies.

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen Prize: This prize is for the best paper, written in Portuguese by an undergraduate student, about Portuguese culture or literature. The paper must have been submitted as a requirement to one of the courses offered at the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. One prize of $ 200 will be awarded. 2008 winner: Cristina Cigarroa, RLL, '09.

Deadline for submissions: Friday, April 24, 2009. For further information, please contact Clémence Jouët-Pastré, Undergraduate Adviser for Portuguese.

Kenneth Maxwell Thesis Prize in Brazilian Studies
The Kenneth Maxwell Thesis Prize in Brazilian Studies was established to recognize the best Harvard College senior thesis on a subject related to Brazil . Candidates may be nominated by their department, concentration or instructional committee, or candidates may nominate their own theses . This annual prize is funded by a gift to DRCLAS from Professor Kenneth Maxwell. The winner is determined in late May and announced at the DRCLAS Certificate Ceremony during Commencement Week. This prize carries a monetary award of $500.

Deadline for submissions: TBA.

To submit a thesis for consideration, please contact: DRCLAS.

SPANISH:

Sales Prize:
From the income of the bequest of Francis Sales, A. M. 1835, a prize is offered to the best essay written in Spanish by an undergraduate. Students have one hour to write an essay on a topic distributed at the moment of the competition without any aids beyond a pen and paper. A selection committee awards the prize for the best essay. A first-place and a second-place award were given in 2008, in the amounts of $1750 and $1250. Students in all levels of Spanish are welcome; nevertheless, qualified participants MUST have begun the study of the Spanish language at Harvard University, in either Spanish A or Spanish Bab. Students are requested to sign up for the competition by Thursday, April 16, 2009 no later than 5pm, by emailing Walter Hryshko. For further information, please contact the Assistant to the Board of Undergraduate Studies. The 2008 winners: Olga Tymejczyk, RLL, '09; Olivia Brown, History, '08.

Date of competition: Friday April 17, 2009, at 4pm sharp. Location will be sent to you once you declare your intention to compete. For more information, please contact Walter Hryshko, the Assistant to the Board of Undergraduate Studies.

Potter Prize: This prize is awarded to the best essay on Spanish literature of the Golden Age (i.e. Spanish or Hispanic American literature from 1492 through 1700). Award amount: $1500 for first place. The 2008 winners: Jennifer Blumbert, Psychology, '08, tied with Mónica Renta, RLL, '08.

The deadline for essay submission Friday, April 24, 2009, no later than 5 p.m.

James R. and Isabel D. Hammond Thesis Prize
The Hammond Prize is awarded by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) for the best Harvard undergraduate senior honors thesis related to Spanish-speaking Latin America . It was established in 1992 by a gift from James R. Hammond '57. Each department may nominate one candidate, and a faculty committee selects the prize recipient. The winner is determined in late May, and announced at the DRCLAS Certificate Ceremony held on the Wednesday before Commencement. This prize carries a monetary award of $500.

Deadline for submissions: TBA.

Latino Studies Thesis Prize
The Inter-Faculty Committee on Latino Studies (IFCLAS) Annual Thesis Award was established in the Spring of 2003 by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) to recognize the Harvard College senior who writes the best thesis on a subject concerning Latinos (either recent immigrants or established communities of Latin American descent in the United States ). Candidates may be nominated by their department, concentration or instructional committee, or candidates may nominate their own theses. The winner is determined in late May, and announced at the DRCLAS Certificate Ceremony held on the Wednesday before Commencement. This prize carries a monetary award of $500.

Deadline for submissions: TBA. Contact: DRCLAS .

Congratulations to our THREE 2008 Hoopes Prize Winners: Chiara Condi, '08 (joint: French/History); Erika Helgen, '08 (Latin American Studies); Cecilia Soler, '08 (Romance Studies).

For information about other prizes available to undergraduates, consult the Prizes Handbook.