Philosophy Scholarship Competitions

Four scholarship essay competitions are administered each year by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. This is an excellent opportunity for students to get recognized for their best work.

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Scholarship Opening Dates

The Ian Moore and Paul Pojman Prizes are administered in the fall, and Wing-Chun Wong and Walt Fuchs Prizes are administered in the spring. See below for details on each prize.

Ian Moore Memorial Scholarships

The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is pleased to announce the availability of one or more scholarships supported by the Ian Moore Philosophy Fund (in most years, two or three winners are selected). Because it is dependent on return on investment, the exact amount of support available varies from year to year. In recent years the scholarships have totaled to more than $3500. An awardee is eligible for renewal. We invite all eligible students to apply.

The Ian Moore Memorial Scholarship was established by Mr. and Mrs. Craig Moore in memory of their son who died in an accident shortly after the successful completion of his undergraduate studies in philosophy in 1996.

The scholarship, which is not based on need, is to go to an undergraduate student majoring in philosophy who shows academic promise. The agreement describing the scholarship defines “academic promise” as typified by a student who may not have the highest GPA or class standing, but who has shown a love and appreciation for the study of philosophy and has the desire to pursue the subject matter to higher educational levels.

  • The applicant must submit a letter to the Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies expressing interest in being considered for the award and stating his or her interest in pursuing a higher level of education after a bachelor’s degree.
  • The applicant must submit an unofficial transcript.
  • The applicant must submit an accompanying essay of approximately 1000 words addressing the following question: What idea, problem or figure in philosophy has most provoked you to think thus far, and why?
  • The finalists may be invited to a brief interview/discussion with the faculty. 

The 2026-2027 Ian Moore prize will be administered in the fall. Stay tuned for deadline information.

Wing-Chun Wong Essay Prize

The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Towson University is proud to announce the Wing-Chun Wong Essay Prize. The Prize was established to honor the legacy of Dr. Wong by his family and will continue to be awarded annually. Dr. Wong taught in the Department until his untimely death in the Summer of 2001. His primary area of expertise was in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, but he also had interests in the philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, logic, metaphysics, and Chinese Buddhist idealism. He was admired by students and his colleagues for his devotion to teaching.

The competition is open to all philosophy majors. Students are invited to submit a sample of their best scholarly work on any philosophical topic. The recipient of the prize will be determined by a committee of faculty members in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. The paper submitted should have a minimum of 2500 words.

The deadline for submissions is within the month of April each year and the recipient will be announced around May of each year. Each year, three winners will receive a prize of $1000 each.  

The 2026-2027 Wing-Chun Wong Prize will be administered in the spring; stay tuned for deadline information. 

Paul Theodore Pojman, Ph.D. Essay Prize

The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is pleased to announce the Paul Theodore Pojman, Ph.D. Essay Prize established in honor of Dr. Pojman by his family. The prize will be awarded annually to a student(s) enrolled in a course(s) in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. Applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria.

  • Full-time students, who have at least two terms remaining before graduation.
  • Enrolled or previously enrolled in at least one course in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.
  • The student prize recipient(s) is (are) chosen based on the best essay submitted on a topic formerly taught or valued by Professor Paul Theodore Pojman. The program director and/or a committee of his/her selection will decide the winner.

Students are invited to submit their essays by a date in the fall semester of each year, and the recipient will be announced within the month of December of each year. Up to two winners will receive a monetary award paid as credit on their Towson University account. The award amount depends on the endowment's return on investment; in recent years the combined awards have totaled around $1500. 

The 2026-2027 prize will be administered in the fall. Stay tuned for deadline information.

Walt Fuchs Essay Prize

The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Towson University is pleased to announce the Dr. Wolfgang Fuchs Memorial Essay Prize. The prize was established in the honor of Dr. Wolfgang (“Walt”) Fuchs and will be awarded annually. Dr. Fuchs taught in the department for over 40 years (1969-2013). He was a devoted teacher and scholar and will be missed by the many people whose lives he impacted.

Students are invited to submit a sample of their best scholarly work on any philosophical topic. The recipient of the prize will be determined by a committee of faculty members in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. The paper submitted should have a minimum of 1500 words.

The winner will receive a monetary award of $350 paid as credit on their Towson University account, and will present his or her paper to faculty and students at the Philosophy Forum during the spring semester.

The competition is open to any current Towson University student not graduating in May of the same year, so long as their submitted paper was written as a result of taking a philosophy course at Towson University.

The 2026-2027 prize will be administered in the spring. Stay tuned for deadline information.

Previous Winners

2025-2026

  • Walter Fuchs Prize: Alexander Spain
  • Ian Moore Prize: Maeve Langlie, Alexander Spain, Schuyler Weirshousky
  • Paul Pojman Prize: Mayra Coyoy-Ixcot, Sarah Beall
  • Wing-Chun Wong Prize: Ash Yasneski, Chloe Tran, Maeve Langlie

2024-2025

  • Walter Fuchs Prize: Natalie Russell
  • Ian Moore Prize: Chloe Tran, Amanda Maisel
  • Paul Pojman Prize: Jamie Voytsekhovska
  • Wing-Chun Wong Prize: Aaron Prem, Lydia DeCicco, Ryan Brown

2023-2024

  • Walter Fuchs Prize: Jakob Winterle
  • Ian Moore Prize: Makaelan Bond
  • Paul Pojman Prize: Sigala Gang
  • Wing-Chun Wong Prize: Makaelan Bond

2022-2023

  • Walter Fuchs Prize: Cassandra Phillips
  • Ian Moore Prize: Calvin Peterson, Erik Hubscher, Rose Collins
  • Paul Pojman Prize: Beverly Yirenkyi, Calvin Peterson, Chelsea Akano
  • Wing-Chun Wong Prize: Chelsea Akano