The Vera List New School Art Collection Writing Award honors New School students for the best critical and creative writing inspired by works in the university’s art collection. The award was established in 1996 by Vera List, a life trustee of The New School.

The writing award celebrates nonfiction and fiction, prose and poetry. All students enrolled in The New School are eligible to submit either a critical or creative text. There is a first-place award of $400 and a second-place award of $200 in each category. Winners are selected by a rotating panel of judges. The prize-winning pieces are edited by professional art critics in collaboration with the writers and are published in a newspaper. In addition, competition participants meet with prominent artists, curators, or critics, to discuss the relationship between visual art and writing.

Recently, students met with Marjetica Potrc, the 2007-08 Vera List Center Fellow whose work featured prominently in some of the submissions. Kara Walker had the following to say after her encounter with writing award participants: “I am so happy to have had the chance to work in and around The New School—the energy of the school and its students is intoxicating. The response to my work has been both thoughtful and enlightening. It is terrific to have one’s work live on in a place where it can be debated and appreciated in the long term.”

The 2007-08 Art Collection Writing Award Newspaper and 2009-10 Call for Submissions  [pdf]

The 2006–07 Art Collection Writing Award Newspaper  [pdf]

The 2005–06 Art Collection Writing Award Newspaper  [pdf]

The deadline for the upcoming 2009-10 Writing Award is January 25, 2009. For more information, please contact the Vera List Center at vlc@newschool.edu.