The High Desert Museum is excited to announce the 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize. This prize celebrates outstanding literary nonfiction that reflects a deep connection to desert landscapes.

Founded in 2014, the Prize honors the legacy of renowned poet and author Ellen Waterston, whose four-decade love affair with the High Desert has inspired countless works. Recently appointed Oregon Poet Laureate (2024-2026), Waterston’s vision continues to shape and elevate desert literature.

The Prize offers financial and professional support to writers who capture the essence of the desert, emphasizing its critical role in our ecosystem and human story. In 2025, one exceptional writer will receive a $3,000 cash award and be honored at a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, on September 25, 2025.

Entries will be evaluated by the Waterston Desert Writing Prize Advisory Committee alongside a distinguished guest judge. Applications are now open to writers worldwide who demonstrate artistic excellence and a strong desert sensibility.

Brief Details

• Application Deadline: May 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST
• Event Date: September 25, 2025
• Funding Type: Cash award
• Organizer: High Desert Museum
• Eligible Countries: All countries
• Eligible Gender: Male/Female
• Target Group: Nonfiction writers
• Focus Area: Literary nonfiction focusing on desert settings and themes
• Number of Opportunity: One winner
• Program Language: English
• Host Country: United States (Oregon)

Benefits

The Prize will present the winner with the following items:

• $3,000 cash award
• Opportunity to present at a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
• Recognition by an esteemed advisory committee and guest judge
• Connection to a prestigious network of desert-focused writers and literary advocates

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Applicants must be nonfiction writer
• Appication is open to writers globally
• Work must showcase artistic excellence, desert literacy, and sensitivity to place
• Writers should be proposing, completing, or considering a book-length nonfiction manuscript
• The writing sample must represent the project and cannot be poetry, fiction, or juvenile literature
• No use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) in submission

How to Apply?

Follow the instructions below while applying:

Step 1: Complete the Online Form: Fill out the application form on Submittable. Include your name, address, and email only in the form—not in your attached documents.

Step 2: Prepare a Single PDF or Word File: Combine the following three parts into one document without any identifying information:

• Biographical Statement (1 page): Outline your educational, professional, publication, and writing experience, how the award will support your work, and your commitment to desert literature.
• Proposal Title and Description (1 page): Include the project title, a brief project overview, desert locations involved, and how your work contributes to desert literature.
• Writing Sample (max 10 pages): Submit nonfiction work (published or unpublished). Poetry, fiction, or juvenile literature will be disqualified. You must be the sole author.

Step 3. Submit Your Application: Upload your materials via Submittable before 11:59 PM PST, May 1, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Note: Use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) is strictly prohibited.

Submit Now

Also Check:

• Ilia Calderon Scholarship to Attend One Young World Summit 2025 in Germany
• Call for Nominations: Global Youth Awards 2025 in London
• South Asia Postgraduate Excellence Award 2025 

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