Frances Belford Wayne Merit Award
Named for Frances Belford Wayne, this monetary award recognizes the outstanding journalistic abilities of a University of Colorado School of Journalism student. Frances Belford Wayne, a Central City native, distinguished herself during a 40-year career with The Denver Post and won national recognition as an investigative reporter and feature writer. She was first Honorary Member named by the Denver Woman’s Press Club. The scholarship was initiated in 1940 by DWPC President Gladys Van Vranken Parce, and has been donated from the DWPC general funds for more than half a century.
The winner of the 2011-12 Frances Belford Wayne Award is Alyssa Hurst, a Lakewood High School graduate, former editor of the LHS paper and hopes to work next for the CU Independent.
Ruth Murray Underhill Award
The Ruth Murray Underhill Award was established in 1985 to honor the memory of one of the DWPC’s most distinguished members. Dr. Underhill was a lifelong advocate of the English language, an anthropologist and an authority on North American Indians. She was a journalist and author in the fields of science, fiction and poetry. The monetary award is given to a University of Colorado student for outstanding merit in creative writing.
The Ruth Murray Underhill Award for 2011-12 is given to Deborah Celizic, who was chosen by the CU Creative Writing department, and excels in poetry. An MFA student, she enjoys experimenting with all forms of creative writing.
Scholastic Art & Writing Award
The Scholastic Art & Writing Award, established in 1923, is the largest and most prestigious awards program for talented high school students in the nation. The Awards and Philanthropy Committee of The Denver Woman’s Press Club selected its winner from among the top six writing portfolios submitted by high school seniors. Winners from the Colorado region proceed to New York for national judging. Prior winners of note include Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote and Joyce Carol Oates.
The winner of the DWPC 2011-2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Award is Desanka Beslic, a graduate of Denver School of Fine Arts. She will apply the scholarship toward tuition at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she will study English and International Affairs.