Honors College Book Award
The Honors College at George Mason university advances excellence by creating an inclusive and equitable space in which people with different perspectives can interact, learn from each other, and collaborate. We are proud to reflect the diversity of the Mason community and to provide transformational opportunities to Mason's most motivated and curious students of all backgrounds and areas of interest.
Purpose of the George Mason University Honors College Book Award
In recognition of outstanding students who embody Mason vision of inclusive excellence in their high schools and communities, we are proud to offer the George Mason University Honors College Book Award. This award is intended for high school juniors who embody Mason’s commitment to service, inclusive collaboration, and the ability to meet modern challenges with creativity and resilience.
In recognizing students' civic and academic achievements thus far, we anticipate that awardees will continue to make contributions on their college campuses. Accordingly, recipients are invited to visit campus to learn more about the opportunities available to them at Mason as an Honors College student.
Recipients of the Honors College Book Award
Each year, participating high schools select one student as the recipient of the award. The honoree will receive a book that we have selected because it represents the people, ethos, and mission of George Mason University. Recipients will also receive an application fee waiver.
This award recognizes a high school junior who has made significant contributions to their communities and classrooms in a manner reflective of Mason’s Honors students. George Mason University Honors College Book Award recipients demonstrate:
- Curiosity, a desire for intellectual growth, and generosity with their knowledge;
- An ability to solve problems and overcome challenges
- Civic engagement, and a sense of responsibility to others
- A commitment to inclusion and diversity.
This year's book
Awardees will receive The City of Good Death, by Priyanka Campaneri. Champaneri received her BA in English and her MFA in creative writing from George Mason University. She received the 2018 Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing for The City of Good Death, her first novel.
The City of Good Death, Priyanka Champaneri
Priyanka Champaneri's transcendent debut novel brings us inside India's holy city of Banaras, where the manager of a death hostel shepherds the dying who seek the release of a good death, while his own past refuses to let him go. Read more…
“Champaneri's sprawling novel delicately navigates the relations of life and death, childhood and memory, love, hate, friendship, human bonding, and relationships that are beyond human understanding….” -Los Angeles Review of Books