Alta Lind Cook Prize
Valued up to $500, the Alta Lind Cook Prize is awarded to a student of Victoria College for the best original music composition (vocal, instrumental, popular, or classical) or the best original literary composition (prose, poetry, or drama) in either English or French. Previous recipients are not eligible to reapply. Generously funded by the estate of Alta Lind Cook (1892-1980) of the Victoria College Class of 1923, member of the teaching staff in French 1927-1961.
How to Apply
To be considered for Special Awards and Essay Prizes, complete the Special Award/Essay Prize Application (more details available here). You will need your UTORid and password for authentication.
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A separate application is required for each award/prize.
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Only one submission is permitted per award/prize.
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You cannot enter the same submission for multiple competitions.
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The submission must have been written, composed or published during the recent academic year.
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If submitting an essay, the submission cannot be altered from the original with the exception of typographical or grammatical corrections.
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Unless specified, only current first-degree students are eligible to apply.
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Due to the availability of funds, some awards may not be offered every year. Award values may vary from year to year.
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Award winners will be notified by the end of July.
The Alta Lind Cook Prize competition is currently open and we are now accepting submissions with a deadline of April 27th.
Inquiries should go to vic.awards@utoronto.ca; when emailing, please include your full name and student number.
Past Winners
2025 recipient: Grace Huo
Grace Huo has been awarded the Alta Lind Cook Prize for her outstanding original literary composition titled Nameless Poem. Nameless Poem is, on the surface, just a simple story about two people and a horse wandering through an extremely generic ancient Chinese Jianghu setting. One of the them has lost his memory and sets out on a journey to uncover his past, only to gradually realize he was once a notorious villain. The only clue to his forgotten identity had been a mysterious nameless poem he found in his pocket upon waking.
But beneath this lighthearted, episodic tale, lies an allegory about redemption, reincarnation, and the search for moral clarity. Drawing in a lot of vaguely Buddhist themes, the story explores the consequences of one's actions across lifetimes, and the quiet persistence of the soul in its longing for resolution.
Grace Huo Vic 2T5 graduated with an Honours Bachelors of Arts, double majoring in history and international relations. She is currently pursuing her J.D. at Columbia Law School. Grace is immensely grateful for her time at UofT, where she was honoured to receive recognition for both her academic scholarship and creative works. She plans to continue writing, and to never stop pursuing her love for telling stories.
2024 recipient: Sophie Elise Williams
Research Creation Affiliate Program
The Centre for Creativity Research Creation Affiliate Program, launching in the 2026-2027 year, provides financial and administrative support for the research creation projects of Victoria College Fellows. This opportunity will be of special interest to Fellows who work with, or would like to work with, undergraduate Research Assistants.
Program Details
By affiliating your project with the C4C, you become eligible for the following benefits:
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The C4C will cover the residual wages for Work Study Research Assistants (normally one per project) up to $2,000.
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You will gain priority access to booking the Northrop Frye Centre (VC102) for project-related activities. If needed, the C4C will also offer administrative and promotional support for affiliated research creation projects and performances.
As part of the program, we ask that all successful applicants plan for a performance or update on their project as part of our annual Creativity Night.
We invite Victoria College Fellows to apply for this unique opportunity by submitting a short abstract about your creative project along with a few lines about how collaborating with the C4C and/or employing undergrad RAs would benefit your work.
Eligibility
You must be a Victoria College Fellow with a research creation project in any artistic field that requires a Research Assistant.
Past Projects
To come.
How to Apply
Please submit a short abstract about your project, along with any relevant work-in-progress files, and a few lines about how collaborating with the C4C and/or employing undergrad RAs would benefit your work. Please send your applications to vic.creativity@utoronto.ca.
Applications will open for affiliated research projects in spring 2026.
Undergraduate Research Creation Award
The Centre for Creativity Undergraduate Fellows are the recipients of the Sheelagh Whittaker Centre for Creativity Undergraduate Fellowship Awards and the Truant Centre for Creativity Undergraduate Fellowship Awards. Both awards will become available for non-graduating undergraduate students at Victoria University working on an independent research creation project in any artistic field. These awards will begin in the 2027-2028 academic year.
As part of their awards, the C4C Undergraduate Fellows will be regular attendees at C4C programming and will be required to perform and provide an update on their project as part of our annual Creativity Night.
Applications will open for undergraduate fellows in spring 2027.
Award details
More details to be made available closer to spring 2027.
How to apply
More details to be available closer to spring 2027.