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Bazzanella Literary Awards
The Bazzanella Literary Awards is one of Sacramento State's longest and most popular scholarship programs. Established in 1981, the awards are named in honor of the late Dr. Dominic J. Bazzanella, an English professor and acting cean of the College of Arts and Letters.
The competition invites undergraduate and graduate students in the English Department to submit their work and celebrates excellence in four categories:
- Poetry
- Short Fiction
- Creative Non-Fiction
- Critical Analysis
Each year, the Bazzanella Committee invites four judges to read and select the winning entries. First- and second-place recipients in each category receive scholarships and are honored at a special reception at Sacramento State. Selected studetn work is also published in the annual Bazzanella Literary Awards booklet.
Submissions are accepted from February to early March each spring semester. Please see below for more submission guidelines and additional information.
Questions about the Bazzanella Literary Awards may be directed to Dr. Rosa Martinez, Associate Professor in the Department of English and Chair of the Bazzanella Literary Awards, at rosa.martinez@csus.edu.
Make a Gift
Your generosity helps us to provide this opportunity for our students in the English Department at Sacramento State. Please consider making a gift to help us continue supporting student writing through this unique and exciting scholarship.
On behalf of our students, the English Department thanks the many gifts offered to our scholarship and we would like to offer a special thank you to the entire Bazzanella family for their continued generosity and the inspiration they have gifted our students since 1981.
Call for 2026 Submissions
Sacramento State's Department of English invites eligible students to enter its annual writing competition.
Submission Deadline
Thursday, February 25, 2027 by 12:00PM
- Submissions are open Monday, February 1. Late entries will not be accepted.
Eligibility and Entry Rules
Entrants must:
- Be enrolled at Sacramento State in spring 2027 as a marticulated undergraduate or graduate student; auditors are not eligible.
- Compete according to their spring 2027 class standing.
- Submit no more than one entry per category. Students may enter multiple categories.
- Submit original work that has not been published or won a previous literary competition.
Categories and Length Limits
- Poetry: One Poem
- Short Fiction: 6,000 words
- Creative Nonfiction: 5,000 words
- Critical Analysis: 5,000 words, excluding bibliography and footnotes
Critical Analysis entries must examine a creative or artistic work, such as literature, film, music, or a screenplay. Other essays should be entered as Creative Nonfiction.
Prose poetry should be submitted in the Poetry category. Flash fiction shoud be submitted in the Short Fiction category. Short true stories should be submitted to the Creative Nonfiction category.
The committee may reassign an incorrectly categorized entry and may choose not to award a prize in every category.
Manuscript Requirements
Submit the same manuscript as both a PDF and a Word document. Each version must:
- Include the title at the top of the first page
- Use numbered pages
- Use 12-point Times New Roman
- Be 1.5 spaced with 1-inch margins; poetry may be single-spaced
- Omit a separate title page
- Contain no identifying information, inculding your name
Entries that exceed the length limit or do not follow these requirements will not be considered.
Submission Checklist
Attach these three files to your email:
- Manuscript as a single PDF
- The same manuscript as a Word document
- Completed Submission Form as a separate PDF
The submission form must include:
- Manuscript title and category
- Undergraduate or graduate standing
- Full name and mailing address
- Phone number and campus email address
- Student ID number
- Software used to prepare the manuscript
Judging and Awards
Four judges who are not current Sacramento State faculty or staff will review the submissions. Their decisions are final. Winners will be notified by phone during the last week of March.
Each category offers:
- First-Place: $200
- Second-Place: $100
- Publication of winning entries in the Bazzanella Booklet
Winners and their guests will also be invited to an awards ceremony and reception at Engrained Restaurant in early May 2027.
2026 Recipients
The English Department is pleased to announce the recipients for the 2025 Bazzanella Literary Awards
| Category | Name | Title of Work |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Analysis | Judged by Seulghee Lee | |
| Graduate | ||
| 1st Place | Erin Mahoney | “The Power of Omission in Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative” |
| 2nd Place | Autumn E. Burkey | “Incubation Period: Applying 'Egg Theory' to Queer and Trans Dysphoria in I Saw the TV Glow” |
| Undergraduate | ||
| 1st | Mitchell Cabrera | “Self-Determinations: A Survey of the Autofictional Mode in Contemporary Literature” |
| 2nd | Faith Morris | “Breakfast of Champions (1973): Reparation and the Weakness of Omnipotence” |
| Short Fiction | Judged by Nora Rodriguez Camagna | |
| Graduate | ||
| 1st Place | Steven Abel | "Brought to You by the Makers of Coca-Cola" |
| 2nd Place | Deric Howard | "An Avatar for Kacey" |
| Undergraduate | ||
| 1st Place | Faith Morris | "I'm Trying to Bury My Brother" |
| 2nd Place | Jonathan Gobel | "Impending" |
| Creative Non Fiction | Judged by Ayendy Bonifacio | |
| Graduate | ||
| 1st Place | Wren Hoggan | "Body Problems: An Essay in Verse" |
| 2nd Place | N/A | N/A |
| Undergraduate | ||
| 1st Place | Faith Morris | "Cambria" |
| 2nd Place | Jacqueline Love | "The Story of Coco, Mythologized through the Themes of Fierce Femmes and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" |
| Poetry | Judged by Tamer Said Mostafa | |
| Graduate | Name | Title of Work |
| 1st Place | Wren Hoggan | "I will not meet anyone tonight" |
| 2nd Place | Austin Arragona | "Iridescence" |
| Undergraduate | ||
| 1st Place | Connor Gregory Goul | "A Year Ago, Today" |
| 2nd Place | Brandon Perez Tavera | "My mom teaches me how to sweep the floor like a self-sacrificing immigrant mother" |
| Screenwriting or Playwriting | Judged by Charlene A. Donaghy | |
| Graduate | Name | Title of Work |
| 1st Place | Austin Aragona | "The Undesired" |
| 2nd Place | N/A | N/A |
| Undergraduate | ||
| 1st Place | Jessica Gouvea | "Keep Your Cool, Girl" |
| 2nd Place | Faith Morris | "Blessed Are the Meek" |
2026 Awards Ceremony
Please enjoy the gallery of photos from the 2026 Bazzanella Literary Awards Celebration at the Engrained Restaurant in the University Union at Sacramento State.
2026 Additional Gallery
Please enjoy the additional gallery of photos from the 2025 Bazzanella Literary Awards Celebration at the Engrained Restaurant in the University Union at Sacramento State.
2026 Bazzanella Literary Awards Booklet
The Bazzanella Literary Awards Booklet for Spring 2026 is printed and published by University Print and the English Department at Sacramento State, in Sacramento, California.
