Sebastian Herbstein Memorial Fund Scholarship in Creative Writing

This scholarship is awarded to preserve the memory of Brother Sebastian Herbstein, aspiring young fiction writer and a graduate of Colby College, who passed away June 20, 2002. Click here for a brief bio.

The scholarship will be awarded to a member (or descendant of a member) of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity who shares Sebastian’s passion for fiction writing and excellence in storytelling.

This competition is now in its sixth year. Jeffrey Fardink, Zeta/Princeton, is the 2009 recipient, and his and previous recipients’ biographical information and winning stories can be found here.

View past recipients here.

The Award:

One $1,000 award will be given for short fiction. At the discretion of the judges, an honorable mention might also be recognized. In accepting the award, the recipient will provide information on how the monetary prize will be used in pursuit of creative writing. The winning piece will be posted in the Sebastian Herbstein Memorial Award Website, together with a photograph and short bio of the winner. The Award winner can list the honor in his resume.

Award Eligibility:

Quality of submission (GPA and major will not be qualifying criteria). Undergraduate membership in Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, or descendant of a member of DKE. A previous winner of the award is ineligible for future competition.

Award Application:

Only one entry per applicant will be allowed. The entry should consist of:

1. Name, mailing and e-mail addresses, school attending, chapter membership (or qualifying ancestral chapter membership)
2. A letter explaining the applicant’s love for, and experience in, fiction writing.
3. A short fiction writing sample with a five thousand (5000) word maximum
4. A color digital photograph of the applicant, and
5. A consent (provided by the foundation) to publishing the winning entry, bio and photo on the DKE/Rampant Lion Website. For the consent form, click here

Award Administration:

The sample, to be submitted no later than February 1, 2010, should be mailed to:

Judith Freidenberg
Department of Anthropology
1111 Woods Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20740

Judith Freidenberg, Sebastian’s mother, will make copies of the submissions, distribute them to the judges and administer the award. The judges will be asked to make a determination no later than March 1, 2010. Dr. Freidenberg will tally the judges’ recommendations and vote only in the event of a tie. She will write the award letters, and inform the Foundation of final decisions so that the award can be distributed by April. The acceptance letter will indicate how the financial award will be used to pursue the winner’s interest in fiction writing.

Scholarship Committee:

The judges for the 2010 competition are:

Dr. James Greenberg
Director, Office of International Initiatives, University of Maryland at College Park

Dr. Leigh Ryan
Director, The Writing Center, University of Maryland at College Park

Contributions to the Award:

Information for contributions to Brother Herbstein's Scholarship Fund is here.

Sebastian Herbstein
Xi ‘96