Every year the University hosts the the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize, where students can submit past research for a chance at recognition and a cash prize.
‍

According to the university’s website, the prize is meant to recognize students for excellence in their research projects and effective use of the library’s resources.
‍

Sheli Pratt-McHugh, a research and instruction librarian at the university, is one of the five members of the library research prize committee, which helps organize the event every year.

‍
“We saw that other libraries were doing their own research prizes, and an old colleague, Bonnie, proposed that we do our own here,” said McHugh. “We ended up starting around 2011 with only undergraduate and graduate prizes for a number of years."
‍

McHugh explained that although the research prize is partially about the students' projects, it is also about how the library was part of the process, whether through help from the librarians themselves or from the library's databases, books and more.
‍

As time went by, the committee realized that not only was the prize growing in terms of the number of participants, but many of these participants also had strong, well-defined projects, particularly among those in only 100-level classes.
‍

“We’d had very strong 100-level classes submit, or individuals submit proposals or nominations. And it was hard for them to compete with people doing their honor thesis or major projects in their fourth year," McHugh said.

‍
The committee realized they had to change the layout of the prize altogether. The competition now includes three different categories: 100 level, upper level and graduate level, all of which include team applicants.
‍

"There are also honorable mentions in each category, depending on the quality of the submissions in a year. But there's always one winning applicant, including team applicants who can split the award," McHugh explained.

‍
One project that really stuck out to McHugh over the years was the 2017 undergraduate winner, Kathleen Reilly, who used the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections, University Archives and library’s Digital Collections to complete her thesis on women’s history within the university. The thesis details events and sources from the time via newspapers and publications, something that personally impressed McHugh.
‍

Winning participants earn a prize that includes $500 and are recognized during a ceremony where their project is read out for peers, faculty, friends and family.
‍

“It's heartwarming to read their narratives and hear about all the different ways that they think the library helped them. There are usually comments about how they met with a librarian and how they helped them so much, or how they used our spaces, or used our technology … ” McHugh said.
‍

To McHugh, though, the prize is more than just the money and ceremony; it is about showcasing one’s thought process, skills and overall effort put toward their project and research.

‍
“It shows that you didn't just write a paper or accomplish the task, but that you really thought carefully about how you were applying your research skills to the topic that you're working on," McHugh said. “It’s evidence that you understand how you're accomplishing these goals, which is a really important skill to have in almost any profession.”
‍

If any students are interested in taking the chance to be this year’s winner, time is not up. The deadline is Monday, May 11. The University’s website states that applications are open for all projects completed from Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Intersession 2026 and Spring 2026.