All submissions are due by midnight April 1.
The time for procrastination is over! Waterston Desert Writing Prize submissions for the 2018 prize are due by midnight April 1. Only 25 days stand between you and the submission date. If you are planning to submit, it’s time to warm up your keyboard and put print to paper. Find all the guidelines and a link for submissions at www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org.
The Prize honors creative nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy, with the desert as both subject and setting. Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the high desert of Central Oregon, a region that has been her muse for over 30 years, the Prize recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.
The Prize winner will receive a $2,000 cash award, a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, and a four-week residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake, Oregon. The winner and finalists will be announced in April. The award event, including “A Desert Conversation,” will take place Wednesday, June 27 at the High Desert Museum.
The Prize is funded from an endowment managed by the Oregon Community Foundation, with the impetus for the creation of the endowment provided by actor Sam Waterston, after whom the prize is named. As the endowment for the prize grows, so will the annual prize amount. Tax deductible donations can be made online or via check to the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, and mailed to PO Box 640, Bend, Oregon 97709.
About Our Supporters
Major support for the Prize is provided by the High Desert Museum and PLAYA. The Prize is also supported by a grant from the Deschutes Cultural Coalition with funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust to support Oregon’s arts, heritage, and the humanities. Other generous supporters include Bearly Designed, Jennifer Britz, Bowtie Catering, Deborah Ford, Grace Bio-Labs, Louise Hawker, Ted Haynes, Gail and Ron Hill, Sue and Mike Hollern, Rebecca (Becky) Johnson, Kathy Lawrence, Dick and Suzanne Linford, Onadime Inc., SGA & Associates, Steven Rothert, Roundhouse Foundation, Jeff Tryens, Watermark Communications, Ellen Waterston and Writing Ranch.
For more information about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, visit www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org or email info@waterstondesertwritingprize.org or call 541.480.3933 or 541.419.0414.