Undergraduate Prizes & Fellowships

 
RELIGIOUS STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE PRIZES AND FELLOWSHIPS

Below you will find a small selection of the many awards and fellowships available to Yale undergraduate students.  This page is updated regularly, so please follow the links for complete information.    

 
 

Nani Deb Memorial Prize in Asian Religions

The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce the Nani Deb Memorial Prize in Asian religions, established by her family. The prize, a non-cash book award of up to $200, will be awarded annually to the student who submits the best senior undergraduate essay or graduate essay, to be chosen by a committee of faculty members in the Department of Religious Studies.

Nani Deb (1918-2002) was a passionate advocate for education, although she herself never finished school. Deeply religious, she was willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary so that her children could get the best possible education. She was a treasure trove of oral history and loved to share stories from her youth, particularly about the struggle of women in India. Nani Deb is survived by two sons, both scientists in California; two daughters in India—one a statistician, and the other a principal of a middle school that serves mostly poor and low-income families; and six grandchildren. The winner will receive reimbursement for a book purchase of up to $200.00. A winner will be determined in April.

Noyes-Cutter Prize 

The Noyes-Cutter prize is $1,000 awarded annually by the Department of Religious Studies to an undergraduate student who shows by examinations the highest degree of excellence in “interpreting the Greek of the New Testament into Modern English”.  A winner will be determined in April. 

American Jewish Congress Prize

The Department of Religious Studies, in conjunction with the Jewish Studies Program, awards a prize annually honoring academic excellence in a senior essay.  The American Jewish Congress prize is awarded to a senior in Yale College for an essay in any field of Judaic Studies. Please contact Renee Reed, Senior Administrative Assistant for Jewish Studies to submit your essay.

Obernauer Memorial Prize

The Department of Religious Studies, in conjunction with the Jewish Studies Program, awards a prize annually honoring academic excellence in a senior essay.   The Obernauer Memorial prize is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student for the best written and delivered essay on the most practical means of achieving good will among religious groups, particularly between Christians and Jews and/or between racial groups. 

Directors of Undergraduate Studies who identify senior essays of high quality that address Jewish themes from within any disciplinary framework or that accomplish the goals for which the Obernauer prize was established may contact Renee Reed, Senior Administrative Assistant for Jewish Studies, to submit an essay.