Prizes & Fellowships
Director of Honors: Mary Ellen Birkett
Director of Graduate Studies: Ann Leone (Fall), Martine Gantrel (Spring)
Prizes and fellowships are available to students studying French at Smith and on Junior Year Abroad (JYA) programs. Students interested in information about these prizes should consult the director of honors, or in the case of prizes and fellowships awarded to students on the JYA programs in Paris or Geneva, the current director of that program. Students interested in the ENS post-graduate fellowship and the Killam fellowship to Canadian universities should consult the director of graduate studies.
The Voltaire Prize
Voltaire Prize, awarded to a first-year student or a sophomore at Smith College for an essay or other project in French that shows originality and engagement with her subject. Applicants should contact the director of honors and prizes in the Department of French Studies for further information on how to submit their work. Submissions for prizes must be presented in person to Michaela Cahillane in the French Studies Department office (Wright 102), no later than the last day of the spring semester examination period. Entries submitted should be the version of the work bearing the professor’s comments and final grade, unless the paper has not yet been returned to the student. Submissions will be judged anonymously. Guidelines for submissions.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Quynh Nguyen '14
- Jaclyn Walkins '13
The Césaire Prize
Césaire Prize, awarded for excellence in an essay or other project in French by a junior or a senior on campus. Applicants should contact the director of honors and prizes in the Department of French Studies for further information on how to submit their work. SPECIAL STUDIES PROJECTS MAY BE SUBMITTED FOR THE CESAIRE PRIZE. Submissions for prizes must be presented in person to Michaela Cahillane in the French Studies Department office (Wright 102), no later than the last day of the spring semester examination period. Entries submitted should be the version of the work bearing the professor’s comments and final grade, unless the paper has not yet been returned to the student. Submissions will be judged anonymously. Guidelines for submissions.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Aimee Girard '10
- Abby McIntyre '10
The Josephine Ott Prize
This prize is awarded to a Smith junior in Paris or Geneva for her commitment to the French language and European civilization. (In one out of seven years the prize is given to a student studying on the Geneva program.)
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Stephanie Cristin '12
- Clare Landefeld '12
- Susanna Michael '12
- Miah Williamsen '12
The Ruth Leipziger Prize
Given to one or more students studying on the JYA program in Paris.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Alessandra Amin '12
- Alexandra Ankudowich '12
- Christianne Beasley '12
- Hannah Frydman '12
The Rousseau Prize
Awarded annually to a member of the junior or senior class studying with the Smith College program in Geneva. The prize was established by members of the French department and other friends in honor of Denise Rochat upon her retirement from Smith College in December 2006.
Most recent recipiens of the prize were:
- Jessica Daubner '12
- Katherine Miller '12
- Rachel Ravina '12
- Marie Schenk '12
The Blumberg Fellowship
Funds up to five students on the Smith College JYA programs who design a project to be carried out during the summer after their academic year on the JYA program. The fellowship provides the opportunity for students to travel widely in the country of their program.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Hannah Frydman '12, Madeleine Pelletier: Challenging the Status Quo (Paris)
- Marie Schenk '12, Sports Diplomacy and the International System (Geneva)
- Ella Hartenian '11, Paris: Sustainability and Urban Development
- Elyse Martin '11, Paris: Les Misérables: An Evolving Legacy
- Rebecca Weiner '09, Paris: Cuisine as Culture in French Literature
The Baer Fund
Sponsors a student wishing to undertake a full-time internship during the summer after her studies on the JYA program in Geneva.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Alexandra Frizzell '12, to work on her internship at the International Service for Human Rights (Fall 2010)
- Kaitlin Hodge '12, to work on her internship at the International Centre for Migration, Health and Development (Fall 2010)
- Robin Spencer '12, to work on her internship at the NGO Group on the Convention for the Rights of the Child (Fall 2010)
- Christina Buliga '11, to work on her internship as an assistant teacher of English in local schools in Geneva (Spring 2011)
- Dagny Broome '12, to work on her internship at the NGO Group on the Convention for the Rights of the Child (Spring 2011)
The Julia Mayrant Rees Simonds '95 France Internship Fund
Sponsors a student wishing to undertake an internship during the summer after her studies on the JYA program in Paris, or in Geneva, if there should be no candidates from the Paris program.
Most recent recipients of the prize were:
- Christianne Beasley '12, an internship with the American Library in Paris
- Adina Bianchi '12, study of differing approaches to the question of selfhood in American and French philosophy with faculty at Paris IV
- Brenda Delamonica '12, an internship with "La Goutte d'Or," a Paris NGO for children from underprivileged backgrounds
- Clare Landefeld '12, study of crystallization of integrase mutant proteins in lab for Structural Biology and Chemistry at the Pasteur Institute
- Miah Williamsen '12, study of early childhood responses to language at psychology lab at Paris V
The ENS Fellowship
Allows a Smith graduate to spend one year at the École Normale Supérieure, rue d'Ulm, France's most prestigious institution of higher learning and to study in the humanities (philosophy, literature, history of art, classical studies [Latin/Greek/archaeology], general linguistics), social sciences (history, geography, economics, sociology, anthropology, history and philosophy of sciences, cognitive sciences, cinematographic studies) and sciences (mathematics, biology, computer science, chemistry, physics, earth sciences).
More information and application instructions (DOC)
Most recent recipients of the prize are:
- Sofia Walker '11
- Emilie Lerner '10
- Leah Schwartzman '10
- Nadia Rivera-Nieves '09
The Killman Fellowship
Enables a Smith student to study in a Canadian university either for a year or for a semester. For more information, click here.
Most recent recipient of the prize was:
- Nina Schwartzman '10
