Wesleyan Establishes HAMILTON Prize for Creativity in Honor of Alum Miranda & Kail

On June 15, Wesleyan announced the establishment of the Wesleyan University Hamilton Prize for Creativity, a four-year full tuition scholarship that honors alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda '02, Hon. '15 and Thomas Kail '99, who created and directed the hit Broadway musical for which the prize is named.

Wesleyan University took to Twitter to announce the news:

The Wesleyan University Hamilton Prize will be awarded to the incoming student (beginning in the class of 2021) who has submitted a creative written work-whether fiction, poetry, lyrics, play, script, nonfiction or other expression-judged to best reflect originality, artistry and dynamism. Miranda and Kail will serve as honorary chairs of the judging committee, which will be composed of other Wesleyan alumni and faculty.

The Broadway musical Hamilton, written by and starring Miranda and directed by Kail, won 11 TONY AWARDS Sunday night, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. It had received a record-breaking 16 nominations.

"I'm truly honored and excited that Wesleyan has created this prize," Miranda said. "Wesleyan nurtures creativity and encourages students to make connections across disciplines. I got my shot at Broadway thanks to the start I had as an artist in this environment, and I hope this prize will help other young writers to get their start."

Added Kail: "Learning to tell a compelling story that will engage an audience is the hardest task for any writer, and I'm delighted that Wesleyan is recognizing and encouraging young people to persevere as writers."

The winner of the prize will be selected by a panel of distinguished faculty and alumni, including Miranda and Kail. Interested students will be able to submit their creative work along with their application for admission. More information is available onThe Hamilton Prize website.

Source: Wesleyan University

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski