Jim Luotto Literature Prize
The Jim Luotto Literature Prize provides annual awards for outstanding essays written by °®¶ą´«Ă˝ students about works of literature.
The prize is given in honor of Jim Luotto, a for more than 30 years in the °®¶ą´«Ă˝ College English Department.
2024 Awards
- First prize ($300): Romie Asplund, “To Write Is To Weave: The Tapestry of Trust as Told by the Dialogic Narrator”
- Second prize ($200): Lydia Ramirez, “More Than Close Friends”
- Third prize ($100): Sara Twiggs, “Who Ain’t a Slave? Landlords”
Asplund’s essay will also be published in the 2024 student edition of Red Wheelbarrow, the college's celebrated literary magazine.
Deadline to Apply
- Please check back for the deadline to apply for 2025.
Rules for Entry
- The prize competition is open to students who have written an essay for an English course at °®¶ą´«Ă˝ College in the past year. You can submit an essay written for class, or submit a revised or expanded version.
- Your essay must present an analysis of one or more literary texts.
- The essay must be a minimum of 3 pages and a maximum of 10 pages long.
- Submit your essay along with a separate, one-page typed cover letter stating your
academic and career goals.
- Include your name, email address, mailing address and phone number.
- Be sure to identify the course for which you wrote your essay.
- Send your entry (essay and cover letter) to Julie Pesano, chair of the English Department Literature Committee, at pesanojulie@deanza.edu
For more information, please contact Julie Pesano at pesanojulie@deanza.edu
Thank You for Your Support
Prize awards come from donated funds. Please consider donating through the Foothill-De Anza Foundation.
2023 Grand Prize Winners
- Aiden Glennon: "Separate, But So Unequal: How Anne Bradstreet Found Power in Poetry"
- Jennilyn Phee: "Finding the Secrets to Your Own Universe"