Anna Augusta Von Helmholtz-Phelan (September 22, 1880 – January 10, 1964) was an American university professor, author, speaker, poet, and social activist.

A collection of her poetry was published in The Crystal Cup (1949), the royalties of which established the Anna Augusta Von Helmholtz-Phelan Award for Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota.

[3] Phelan attended Sturgeon Bay High School before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year.

She served as chair of the committee on laws affecting working women (1910–11), the department of social economics (1911–13), the Minnesota Speakers' Bureau, and the Council of National Defense.

[1][2] At the University of Minnesota, Phelan established the Anna Augusta Von Helmholtz-Phelan Award for Creative Writing from the royalties of her poetry book, The Crystal Cup.