Roy Crane Award

Roy Crane Award for Literary Arts (2024)

About the Award

The Roy Crane Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts is given each year to a student at The University of Texas at Austin for unique, creative effort in the performing, literary, and visual arts. An undergraduate or graduate student from any major or area of study may compete for the award. The selection committee will give no weight to any entrant’s grade point average or other academic achievement.

News: Five Students Receive the 2024 Roy Crane Award for Their Achievements in Literary Arts

Two Students Receive the 2023 Roy Crane Award for Their Achievements in Visual Arts (September 15, 2023)

Eight Students Receive the 2021 Roy Crane Award for Their Achievements in the Literary Arts (January 20, 2022)

Deadline

April 5, 2024 

Eligibility

An undergraduate or graduate student at UT Austin from any major or area of study may compete for the award. The student must be enrolled during the semester in which the application is due. 

The selection committee will give no weight to any entrant’s grade point average or other academic achievement. To ensure that an entrant’s work may be compared with similar forms of creativity, each year the award committee designates an area of the arts:

2024: Literary Arts
2025: Visual Arts
2026: Performing Arts

The following materials must be uploaded via Interfolio:

1. Portfolio requirement – Submit up to 5 examples of creative or non-fiction writing, limit of 25 pages. Arrange work in reverse chronological order, newest to oldest. Work submitted cannot be over two years old. Each piece must be labeled with: name, title of work, and date. Work submitted must represent creative achievement while enrolled at UT Austin. Research or analysis does not qualify.

All of the above materials must be uploaded and your application submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date to be considered for the 2024 awards.

Award Amount

$1,000 – $4,500*

*Award amount varies based on annual endowment.

About the Donor

ROY CRANE (1901-1977) is called the father of the adventure story cartoon strip. His first creation, “Wash Tubbs,” appeared in 1922. It was soon followed by “Buz Sawyer,” syndicated by King Features, which became world famous, appearing in more than 300 newspapers in the U.S. and being translated into more than ten languages.

The Louvre and the Smithsonian Institute have exhibited Crane’s work. He has been honored by many professional organizations, including the National Cartoonists Society, which gave him a “Ruben” in 1950 as cartoonist of the year.

Born in Abilene, Texas, Crane attended UT from 1919 to 1922. His wife, the former Evelyn Hatcher, was also a student here. Crane was art editor of the CACTUS yearbook and the LONGHORN, a student literary magazine that later merged with the RANGER, and he drew cartoons for the DAILY TEXAN.

His interest in The University of Texas at Austin continued throughout his life. In addition to establishing the award that bears his name, he presented a collection of his cartoons to the University Library. In 1969 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus by The University Ex-Students’ Association.