UPEI celebrates 12th annual MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing
UPEI celebrated the 12th annual MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing on Friday, November 17. The awards were presented to recipients, acknowledging their effective writing skills, which are the foundation of academic success and lifelong learning.
The awards, presented to 36 students and one faculty member this year, were established in 2011 by the MacLauchlan family to honour H. Wade MacLauchlan's contributions to the University and his 12 years of service as UPEI president and vice-chancellor from 1999–2011.
“We are honoured to have President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan and members of his family with us today,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, UPEI’s vice-president academic and research, who was the master of ceremonies for the event. “Thanks to the MacLauchlan family’s generous donation to the University of Prince Edward Island in 2011, we have an exceptional awards program that encourages and recognizes student writing achievement.”
“On behalf of the entire UPEI community, I thank the MacLauchlan family for their generosity and President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan for his commitment to encouraging excellence in writing among our students, faculty, and staff at UPEI,” said Dr. Greg Keefe, UPEI interim president and vice-chancellor. “We cannot stress enough how important having strong writing skills is for academic success and for daily life no matter what career path or vocation we choose to follow. Congratulations to all this year’s recipients.”
Brennan McDuffee, a Faculty of Arts student and an award winner, read an excerpt from his piece, a musical entitled “Best Summer Ever! A Family Comedy.”
“Writing for the theatre arts is so creatively fulfilling because a script is a skeleton for a much larger project with ideas from everyone on your team. Using this musical to teach about the creative process and the theatre arts was such an impactful experience. Getting any project of that scale on its feet is fulfilling, but the fact that it was so well received by the community and, most importantly, the young actors who studied it and learned it makes it truly something that I'm proud of,” said McDuffee. “I was flattered by the invitation to read at the ceremony. The show of support from the community and attendees’ interest in the process and the project was very encouraging.”
Faculty of Arts student and award winner Athéna Quirin also read an excerpt from her piece entitled “L’obsession dans Du côté de chez Swann de Marcel Proust.”
“Studying French in an anglophone environment has been quite challenging, and while writing my dissertation, I never dared to dream about reading it in front of a scholarly community. However, winning this prize and being given the opportunity to share my research work in French has been both exhilarating and rewarding. It felt surreal to be seen, heard, and above all, acknowledged for my efforts and my work. I hope that the chance I was given will encourage more Francophones on the Island and at the University to seize every opportunity they get to share their work,” said Quirin.
Author and editor Mo Duffy Cobb was the event’s special guest speaker. The founder and editorial director of Pownal Street Press as well as a teacher of creative writing and communication, Duffy Cobb spoke about how writing has shaped her entire life, and how she hopes to inspire others to find their passion for it.
The MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing distribute up to $30,000 annually in awards. The family has made previous contributions to the Harry W. MacLauchlan Scholarships in Entrepreneurial Leadership, MacLauchlan Arena, Robertson Library, athletic scholarships, and student prizes in mathematics and entrepreneurship.
2023 Recipients of the MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing
Course work
Akila Thomas, Faculty of Arts
Alexandra Kowalchuk, Faculty of Science
Ally Felix, Faculty of Arts
Athéna Marine Esmeralda Quirin, Faculty of Arts
Aurora Ryder, Faculty of Science
Caitlin Perrot, Faculty of Arts
Claire MacPhee, Faculty of Arts
Easton Power, Faculty of Arts
Emma Coughlin, Faculty of Science
Joel Compton, Faculty of Arts
Keridwen Campbell, Faculty of Arts
Larissa Storey, Faculty of Arts
Laura Apblett, Faculty of Science
Lauren Rainford, Faculty of Education
Liah Clayton, Faculty of Arts
Lily Greenan, Faculty of Arts
Madison Walsh, Faculty of Arts
Maretta Moore, Faculty of Arts
Marley Lucas, Faculty of Arts
Olivia Van Hul, Faculty of Science
Patience Smith, Faculty of Arts
Payton Kelly, Faculty of Arts
Peng Shen, Faculty of Nursing
Quinn O'Brien, Faculty of Arts
Sheila Walsh, Faculty of Science
Tobiah Rowswell, Faculty of Arts
Faculty and Staff
Dr. Wendy Shilton, Associate Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Arts
UPEI Writing Centre, Student Affairs, and the Webster Centre for Student Success
Catherine-Lynne Curtis, Faculty of Arts
Lydia Glenn Leblanc, Faculty of Arts
Peiming Ye, Faculty of Business
Ryanna Ryan, Faculty of Arts
Community
Brennan McDuffee, Faculty of Arts
Deborah Langston, Faculty of Arts
Olivia McNeill, Faculty of Arts
