The Yeshiva College English Department announced the winners of its annual writing contest on Monday, awarding the marquee Jerome Robbins Memorial Prize for Best Short Story to Yeshiva College Senior Chananya Weissman for his entry, "Rent-a-Friend." English faculty members praised the field as the deepest in years, particularly in the area of Best General Essay, which produced an unprecedented three co-winners.

Subcommittees consisting of up to four full-time members of the English Department judge the entries in each of the fields. The panels attempt to reach a consensus, but in the case of no clear winner, as occurred in two fields this year, they award multiple prizes. Yeshiva College junior Shmuli Singer's poem "Exhibitionism" shared the top spot in the Best Poem category with YC junior Shlomo Greenwald's "Heart Murmur." Likewise, the judges honored three Best General Essay entrants, to YC seniors David Krieger, David Yolkut and Jonathan Spielman.

Weissman's wry tale of a corporation that rents out friends emerged as the undisputed winner in its category, however. "I can't say I often share the literary tastes of the English faculty, but I have nothing disparaging to say about this particular selection," quipped an ecstatic Weissman, who published his short story collection, Journeys Into Limbo, earlier this year. Yeshiva College sophomore Allen Houben also snagged an unshared award, in the class of Best Essay in a Composition Course.

"It's exciting to see a selection of the best student writing in Yeshiva College," enthused Dr. Will Lee, a veteran associate professor of English, "though my only complaint is that more students did not enter the contest. I'm certain that some of the best writing did not get to compete." English faculty members indicated that they are expecting an even more impressive response next year, which they hope to elicit through a more extensive advertising campaign.