Finalists Named For Undergrad Literary Prize

CHESTERTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Washington College has named six finalists for the nation's largest literary prize for undergraduates.

This year's Sophie Kerr Prize is valued at $62,900 and will be announced during a special event Friday night at the campus on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It's the first time six finalists have been picked instead of five.

The award recognizes a graduating senior at the Chestertown school who shows literary ability and promise. Sophie Kerr was a Maryland native who left much of her estate to Washington College when she died in 1965. The fiction writer and magazine editor stipulated that half of her estate's income go toward the annual award.

This year's finalists are Julia Armstrong, Valerie Dunn, Ariel Jicha, Paige Kube, Sydney Sznajder and Alexander Vidiani.