UM Student Wins Big Snowy Prize for Young Writers

MISSOULA – Loran Schneiter, a University of Montana creative writing student from Kalispell, won the Big Snowy Prize.

The prize has been presented since 2014 by Montana Quarterly magazine. The magazine presents two awards for young writers annually in fiction and nonfiction.

Robert Stubblefield, director of UM’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing, said Schneiter submitted a powerful essay that wowed the judges.

“She was encouraged by UM Professor Chris Dombrowski and peers in her nonfiction writing workshop,” Stubblefield said. “Loran says winning this prize gave her the confidence she needed to pursue writing more seriously via the BFA program offerings at UM.”  

Scott McMillion, editor-in-chief of Montana Quarterly, wrote: “Loran Schneiter’s heartfelt essay was the clear and unanimous winner in the 2023 nonfiction category. She displays a unique gift for communicating with the other characters in the story, even while talking directly to the reader. That’s not easy to do, but Loran pulled it off. And she did it with style, not flash; with emotion and not sentimentality; with her heart on the page.” 

In addition to winning the Big Snow Prize, Schneiter has accepted an internship with the LA Review of Book that begins this summer.

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Contact: Loran Schneiter, UM creative writing BFA candidate, loran.schneiter@umconnect.umt.edu; Robert Stubblefield, UM director of BFA in Creative Writing, robert.stubblefield@umt.edu.