Washington College names 5 finalists for literary prize

(AP) – Washington College has named five finalists for the nation’s largest literary prize for undergraduates.

The winner of this year’s Sophie Kerr Prize will be announced at a ceremony Friday evening at the campus on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This year’s prize is valued at $65,770. This year’s finalists are Grace O’Connor, Alexandria Smythe, Reilly D. Cox, Rachel Brown and Nicolas Anstett.
    
The award recognizes a senior at the Chestertown school who shows the greatest promise for a future in literary endeavor. The school says 20 students submitted portfolios this year.
    
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.