Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2024 ($3,000 cash award)

This informs the public about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2024. Details about the Program are given below. The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014, inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years.

Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2024

The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.

Program Details

In 2024, the Prize will recognize the winner with a $3,000 cash award and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, on September 26, 2024.  Following the review of submissions by the Waterston Desert Writing Prize Advisory Committee, the winner and finalists are selected by the guest judge.

Eligibility

Nonfiction writers who illustrate artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy with the desert as both subject and setting.  The award supports literary nonfiction writers who are completing, proposing, or considering the creation of a book-length manuscript.

It is recommended that the written sample submitted be part of the proposed project or closely represent it in content and style.

How to Apply

For those interested in the Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2024.

Step 1. Fill out the online application form on Submittable. This form is the only location identifying information (your name, address, email) that should appear.

​Step 2. Upload ONE Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF file. Combine the three parts of the application described below into one document, and do not place your name or other identifying information on any page of the document.

  1. Biographical Statement: One double-spaced page in 12-point type and one-inch margins. Do not disclose your identity in this information. A resumé or curriculum vitae will not be accepted. Provide a brief narrative that summarizes the following:
  • Your educational, professional, publication, and writing experience
  • How the Waterston Desert Writing Prize award will benefit your work
  • Your commitment to making a meaningful contribution to the body of desert literature
  1. Proposal Title and Description: No more than one double-spaced page in 12-point type and one-inch margins. The description should include:
  • Proposal title
  • Brief description of the project
  • Desert locations included in the project’s research
  • Brief description of how the project will contribute to desert literature and expand knowledge of the deserts

NOTE: A budget is not required

  1. Writing Sample: No more than ten double-spaced pages in 12-point type and one-inch margins. Please keep in mind:
  • Writing samples that are in other genres, such as poetry, fiction, or juvenile literature, will be disqualified.
  • Writing samples can be published material or unpublished drafts.
  • You must be the sole author and have full ownership of the work.
  • Any extra materials included with the proposal and not requested in these guidelines will not be reviewed.

Step 3. Submit materials. All applications must be submitted via Submittable. Please note that incomplete and late applications will not be reviewed. The deadline is 11:59 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Application Deadline

  • The deadline for receipt of applications is 1 May 2024.

Open this link for more details about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2024.

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