The High Desert, which has served as author and poet Ellen Waterston’s muse for more than 40 years, inspired the creation of the Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) in 2014. The Prize recognizes the critical role deserts play globally in the ecosystem and the human narrative, and it offers financial and additional support to writers whose work demonstrates a similar relationship to the desert.

Celebrated for the Prize’s tenth anniversary, actor and producer Sam Waterston—who helped secure the initial endowment that initiated the Prize—will serve as the guest judge in 2024. Nationally bestselling novelist Tucker Malarkey will be the ceremony’s keynote speaker. The journey of a conservationist to preserve the last wild salmon in the world is chronicled in Malarkey’s most recent book, Stronghold: One Man’s Quest to Save the World’s Wild Salmon.

Brief Details:

• Offered by: High Desert Museum
• Deadline: 1 May 2024
• Gender: Any
• Type: Award
• Eligible Countries: All

Benefits:

• The Prize will present the winner in 2024 with a cash reward of $3,000 along with a reading and reception on September 26, 2024, at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Nonfiction authors who use the desert as a theme and location and who demonstrate artistic brilliance, place awareness, and desert literacy.
• The prize helps writers of literary nonfiction who are finishing, submitting, or thinking about starting a book-length project. It is advised that the writing sample be included in the project that is being offered, or that it closely resembles it in terms of both style and content.

The Award Recipient is Requested to Agree to the Following:

• The prize recipient should try to attend the award ceremony and reception, with travel support provided by the High Desert Museum. The event will take place in Bend, Oregon on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
• The winner will provide a high-resolution photo to be used in publicity at the time the award is announced.
• The recipient of the award must consent to the Museum publicizing the winner and award.
• The High Desert Museum will supply wording to the winner of the award; the recipient will credit the Prize and the museum in any publications that result from the award.
• A sample of the work produced for the project is greatly appreciated by the Prize, which will be posted on the websites of the High Desert Museum and the Waterston Desert work Prize.
• The recipient will give the Museum a one-page report describing how the prize supported their work, project-related duties completed throughout the year, news of publication intentions, and a sample of their writing 12 months after the Waterston Desert Writing Prize is awarded.

How to Apply?

Take the actions listed below to apply:

• Step 1: Click the “apply now” button below to start the online application process. The only place where your name, address, and email should show is on this form.
• Step 2: Upload A Single PDF or Word (.doc or.docx) file. Do not include your name or any other identifying information on any page of the application; instead, combine the three sections that are detailed below into a single document.
  • Biographical Statement: One page, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point type. Don’t reveal who you are with this information. They won’t accept resumes or curriculum vitae. Give a succinct account that encapsulates:
    • Your writing, publishing, career, and educational background
    • How receiving the Waterston Desert Writing Prize will advance your writing
    • Your dedication to adding anything significant to the canon of desert literature
  • Suggestion Headline and Synopsis: One page, double-spaced, in 12-point font with one-inch margins is the maximum. The following should be mentioned in the description:
    • Title of proposal
    • A succinct synopsis of the undertaking
    • Research for the project covered areas in the desert.
    • A succinct explanation of how the project will advance understanding about deserts and add to the body of literature on the subject.

NOTE: You do not need a budget.

• • Writing Sample: A maximum of ten pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and 12-point font. Please be aware that submissions in other genres, such as poetry, fiction, or children’s books, will not be accepted.
  • Writing samples can be either unpublished drafts or published works.
  • You have to be the only creator and possess complete ownership of the piece.
  • The proposal’s attachments, which are not specified in these rules, will not be evaluated.
• Step 3: Send in your materials. Every application needs to be sent through Submittable. Please be aware that late or incomplete applications won’t be considered.

                                   Apply Now

Also Check:

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• Global Youth Ambassadors GYA Program 2024 by TheirWorld Organization

Questions should be sent to [email protected], or refer to to High Desert Museum’s website.