The Dante Society of America sponsors various prizes and awards, and recognizes outstanding contributions from our members to the Society.
Prize Competitions
The Dante Society of America recognizes excellence in promoting a greater understanding of Dante's life, time, and works through annual prizes and awards for undergraduate students (Dante Prize), graduate students (Charles Hall Grandgent Award) and secondary school teachers (Durling Prize) in North America. The award descriptions and submission guidelines can be found below. The Kleinhenz Fund for Publication sponsors an annual competitive award for scholars to facilitate the publication of books on Dante.
Recognitions
The Dante Society of America recognizes outstanding contributions from our members to the Society through the Presidential Service Awards and Distinguished Service Awards. Award descriptions and recipients can be found below.
Deadlines
April 15
Nominations for the Presidential Service Award (graduate students)
June 30
Submissions for the Dante Prize (undergraduate students) and Charles Hall Grandgent Award (graduate students)
August 31
Applications for the Kleinhenz Fund for Publication (scholars)
September 15
Submissions for the Durling Prize (secondary teachers)
Prize Competitions
About the Dante Prize
The Dante Prize of five hundred dollars ($500) is offered for the best essay and the best multimedia creative project on a subject related to the life or works of Dante Alighieri, submitted by an undergraduate enrolled in any college or university in the US, US territories, or Canada. The competition is also open to those who within the past year received an undergraduate degree from a college or university in the US, US territories, or Canada, and are not enrolled as a graduate student.
The Society's Prize Committee will judge the submissions. In either competition, the Committee may, at its discretion, split the award between two contestants (each to receive one half of the prize), or it may make no award. For creative group projects, the prize will be automatically split between the team members. Winners and their essay titles are announced in the fall. The essays remain the intellectual property of their authors.
Submission Guidelines
Essays
Essays should be between 3,500 to 7,500 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography). The essay can be a self-standing work or a portion of a larger work. In the latter case, writers are asked to include in the submission a description of how the essay fits within the larger whole. That description will not count towards the essay’s overall word limit but should not exceed 750 words. Essays must be original contributions and those with the obvious use of AI — or showing obvious forms of plagiarism — will automatically be excluded without possibility of appeal. Any such exclusion will prevent future resubmissions.
Multimedia Creative Projects
Multimedia creative projects may be developed individually or in teams of up to four students and make use of digital platforms and/or social media. Projects must demonstrate a substantial engagement with Dante’s work. Projects should be accompanied by a brief artist’s statement, i.e., a critical reflection (max 500 words) on the interpretive framework, creative choices, and goals inspiring the project.
Formatting
Each author should provide a cover page (as the first page of the file) giving their name; institutional affiliation; local, permanent and e-mail addresses; and the title and category (undergraduate or graduate) of the essay. The author’s name should not appear on the essay title page (to follow the cover page) or on any other page of the text since the essays are submitted anonymously to the readers. Essays may be submitted in either English or Italian. Quotations from Dante’s works should be cited in the original language. Students working primarily with English translations may quote the translations, but they should provide the corresponding Italian or Latin text in parentheses. Illustrations are acceptable if they are analyzed in the essay, or if they help illuminate a point made in the essay. The format of the essay should conform to either the Chicago or MLA Style Sheet guidelines. Body text should be set in Times New Roman 12, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Files should be saved as documents with either a .doc, .docx, or an .rtf extension. No hardcopy submissions will be accepted.
Deadline
The deadline for submissions is June 30 of each year. All submissions must be sent as e-mail attachments to The Dante Society of America at dantesociety@gmail.com. Students may submit only one essay per year but may submit entries each year they meet the eligibility requirements. Essays that have been submitted in a previous round of competition are not eligible for resubmission (this includes essays in revised form). The format of the creative work should be clearly indicated and submitted in a manner that ensures accessibility (e.g., link to a website, video file, digital presentation, etc.).
Past Winners
On this page you can find the list of all the Dante Prize Winners, since the establishment of the Prize in 1887.
About the Charles Hall Grandgent Award
The Charles Hall Grandgent Award of one thousand dollars ($1,000) is offered for the best essay on a subject related to the life or works of Dante Alighieri, submitted by a student enrolled in any graduate program in the US, US territories, or Canada. Submissions are also accepted from students who have graduated since the last prize submission deadline. However, students must have completed the essay while still enrolled in a graduate program within that calendar year.
The Society's Prize Committee will judge the submissions. In either competition, the Committee may, at its discretion, split the award between two contestants (each to receive one half of the award money), or it may make no award. Winners and their essay titles are announced in the fall. The essays remain the intellectual property of their authors.
Submission Guidelines
Word Limit
Essays should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography). The essay can be a self-standing work or a portion of a larger work. In the latter case, writers are asked to include in the submission a description of how the essay fits within the larger whole: in any case, the submission should read as a standalone essay. That description will not count towards the essay’s overall word limit but should not exceed 1,000 words.
Formatting
Each author should provide a cover page (as the first page of the file) giving their name; institutional affiliation; local, permanent and e-mail addresses; and the title and category (undergraduate or graduate) of the essay. The author’s name should not appear on the essay title page (to follow the cover page) or on any other page of the text since the essays are submitted anonymously to the readers. Essays may be submitted in either English or Italian. Quotations from Dante’s works should be cited in the original language. Students working primarily with English translations may quote the translations, but they should provide the corresponding Italian or Latin text in parentheses. Illustrations are acceptable if they are analyzed in the essay, or if they help illuminate a point made in the essay. The format of the essay should conform to either the Chicago or MLA Style Sheet guidelines. Body text should be set in Times New Roman 12, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Files should be saved as documents with either a .doc, .docx, or an .rtf extension. No hardcopy submissions will be accepted.
Deadline
The deadline for submissions is June 30 of each year. All submissions must be sent as e-mail attachments to The Dante Society of America at dantesociety@gmail.com. Students may submit only one essay per year but may submit entries each year they meet the eligibility requirements. Essays that have been submitted in a previous round of competition are not eligible for resubmission (this includes essays in revised form).
Past Winners
On this page you can find the list of all the Charles Hall Grandgent Award Winners, since the establishment of the Award in 1961.
About the Durling Prize
Established in 2016 in memory of our late colleague Robert M. Durling, this award has recognized excellence in the teaching of Dante’s life, time, and works by educators working in North American secondary schools (i.e., high school and middle school). Beginning in 2023, the prize can also be awarded to encourage school teachers to develop courses or incorporate significant modules on Dante in their courses. Teachers may apply on the basis of a course or course component already taught or on one they intend to teach within the next two academic years. The prize winner receives a monetary award in the amount of $1,000.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should include a brief resume and a cover letter that highlights the instructor’s engagement with Dante to date as well as detailed plans for future incorporation of relevant material into the curriculum. Additional materials such as an annotated syllabus, detailed assignment descriptions, recordings of class instruction or examples of digital and other instructional aids can also be submitted to strengthen the dossier. Applicants will need one letter of support sent via email from a student or colleague familiar with the project and the pedagogical approach of the instructor and who can attest to its success and/or potential for success.
Submissions must be received electronically at dantesociety@gmail.com by September 15, and will be judged by the Prize Committee of the Society with the winner announced in the fall of each year. Candidates who didn't receive the award remain eligible to participate in future competitions.
Past Winners
On this page you can find the list of all the Durling Prize Winners, since the establishment of the Prize in 2016.
About the Kleinhenz Prize for Publication
The Dante Society of America is pleased to announce the establishment of a new fund to facilitate publication of books on Dante, thanks to a generous gift from Chris and Marge Kleinhenz and matched by the Society. This fund will provide one competitive award per year, not to exceed $2,500, in support of a book on Dante authored by a member of the Society in need of publication subvention.
Application Guidelines
Applications for the Kleinhenz Prize for Publication should be sent to the Secretary of the Dante Society of America at dantesociety@gmail.com by August 31. Applications should include a letter introducing the Author and the Book, outlining progress toward publication, Publishers' subvention requests, and Author’s institution’s response to those requests, along with a representative portion of the Book manuscript, not to exceed 50 pages. Applications will be reviewed by the current Council of the Dante Society of America and a winner will be chosen by January 31 of the following year. All subventions will be paid by the Society directly to the Publisher upon receipt of an invoice.
Recognitions
About the Presidential Service Awards
Since 2023, the Dante Society of America recognizes outstanding student service contributions to its publications, activities, initiatives, and mission with annual Presidential Service Awards of $1,000. These awards are made possible in part by an anonymous donation to the Society in 2021.
Nomination Process
Students who have served the Society in some significant capacity can nominate themselves or their peers for an award by submitting a letter outlining the services rendered to the Secretary at dantesociety@gmail.com. Applicants should request that a letter of recommendation from the Council member, Committee chair, or Officer with whom they have collaborated be sent on their behalf to the Secretary. The deadline for nominations and completion of nomination portfolios to be received each year is April 15. Applications received after that date will be considered the following year.
Council members select winners and announce them at the Annual Members meeting in May. Unsuccessful nominations may be resubmitted in the following year's competition. Graduate students interested in becoming more involved with the work of the Society can learn more about our Graduate Student Service Opportunities.
President Service Award Recipients
2025
Stefano Scandella (New York University)
Giuseppe Vicinanza (New School)
Interns for the International Dante Bibliography
2024
Martina Franzini (Johns Hopkins University)
Massimiliano Lorenzon (University of Pennsylvania)
Jessica Ruffolo (University of Calgary)
Leaders of the Graduate Student Group and organizers of the first Graduate Student Conference
2023
Mario Sassi (University of Pennsylvania)
Paolo Scartoni (Rutgers University)
Leonardo Chiarantini (University of Michigan)
Founding members of the Graduate Student Group
About the Distinguished Service Awards
The Dante Society of America's by-laws provide for the recognition of "persons distinguished for their interest in the Society's mission or who have rendered valuable services to the Society." Since 2018, Council has periodically conferred the Distinguished Service Award on members who have provided the Society with an extraordinary degree of service over their careers.
Distinguished Service Award Recipients
Nancy J. Vickers (2020)
Richard Lansing (2019)
Christopher Kleinhenz (2018)