The Yale Daily News Magazine is thrilled to publish the winners of the 2021 Wallace Prize. The Wallace Prize recognizes previously unpublished fiction and nonfiction by Yale undergraduates. All submissions were judged anonymously by professional writers, who also decided the number of prizes and the places of the winners. Winners receive a substantial monetary award and their pieces are published in a special issue of the Yale Daily News Magazine.

Read the digital issue here.

Nonfiction:

First Place: “When Pregnancy is a Crime” by Ko Lyn Cheang ’21
Second Place: “People Like Us” by Irene Vázquez ’21
Third Place: “Little Neck, New York” by Sam Ahn ’24

Honorable Mention: “Everyday American Delusion” by Matt Nadel ’21
Honorable Mention: “The Weight in Her Voice” by Lydia Burleson ’21
Honorable Mention: “Learning the Blues” by Maya Chakrabarti Pasic ’21.5

Fiction:

First Place: “Object Permanence” by Lillian Yuan ’21
Second Place: “The Sea Leash” by Claire Zalla ’21
Third Place: “In Heat” by Ryan Benson ’21

Honorable Mention: “Party Monster” by Maude Lechner ’24
Honorable Mention: “Weird Fishes” by Gabriel Roy ’21
Honorable Mention: “The Big Crunch” by Mia Arias Tsang ’21

Thank you to the many students who submitted and the anonymous judges who volunteered their time and expertise.