The application window is open for the 2025-2026 academic year's Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is made possible from an endowment by William and Donna Early in memory of their son, a poet, Kevin T. Early. It awards a $2000 scholarship (which is applied to the student account) to a student with freshman standing at UIUC for the 2025-2026 school year. The deadline for application is Thursday, October 30, 2025.
For consideration, students must submit 5 poems via email to me at: . The complete submission should not exceed 5 pages (so 1 poem to a page). Submissions should be attached to the email as .docx (Word) files.
The subject line of the email should read: “EARLY PRIZE SUBMISSION: Last name.”
The body of the email should include the student's name, address, phone number, e-mail, UIN, and the titles of the poems. The name should not appear on the entry file itself. Complete guidelines are included in the attached document.
If you have any questions, please email John Dudek at