The undergraduate colleges of New York University have offered various prizes for student writing over time. The history of the six essay prizes included in this collection is listed below.

The James Gordon Bennett Prize was endowed in 1893 by James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, and awarded for the first time at Commencement in 1894. It recognizes the best essay by an undergraduate senior, "in English prose upon some subject of American governmental, domestic, or foreign policy of contemporaneous interest." The topic for submitted essays was assigned by the faculty each year. Winning students received $50. While the most recent Bennett Prize essay in the University Archives' collection dates from 1956, the prize is still awarded today.

The Minnie Kramer Cowin Prize was awarded at Commencement for an essay in political science. Two members of the Class of 1923, Harold L. and William T. Cowin, endowed the prize in memory of their mother. When it was first offered in 1924, student essays were solicited on a topic determined by the faculty in advance. However, beginning in 1928, the prize was simply awarded to the best essay submitted in fulfillment of a class assignment. It included a $50 honorarium. The last Minnie Kramer Cowin Prize was awarded in 1974.

The Frederick Seward Gibson Prize was endowed by the estate of Frederick Seward Gibson, an alumnus of the University College Class of 1896. It was first awarded in 1901, to a student who produced high quality writing in the field of English literature. Like other prizes which were offered throughout several decades of the university's history, the terms of the competition have undergone slight changes over time. The Gibson Prize was originally awarded to "an essay of high literary merit on a subject proposed by the professor of English literature as a proper subject for treatment in a literary form and approved by the college faculty." Beginning in 1931, original works of creative writing were accepted as well. Competition was originally open to seniors only, but eligibility was expanded to include any student above the freshman year in 1924; sophomores were again excluded in 1933. The prize included $70, reduced to $60 in 1933. It is still awarded for the best piece of critical or creative writing by a junior or senior student.

The Helen M. Jones Prize in History was awarded from 1952-1959 to the best essay on a selected topic in French history. As of 1960, it is instead awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the Department of History, had made the best record in the history honors course. It included a monetary prize based on the income of a $1000 gift given by Theodore F. Jones, a member of the University College Department of History, in memory of his mother. It is still awarded today.

The Maas Essay Prize was first opened to competition in the academic year 1955-1956. It was endowed by the will of Kittyn Maas, widow of Charles Oscar Maas, in memory of her husband. It included a prize of $350 to be awarded to an undergraduate student "who submits the best essay on a specific topic relating to the heritage and tradition of the United States of America." The last prize was awarded in 1974.