The Jesse H. Jones Fellowship from the Texas Institute of Letters consists of an award — newly increased to $10,000 — to fund the completion of a literary work of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction for a general audience. The recipient of the 2026 Jones Fellowship is ire’ne lara silva.
The application period is now open for our 2027 Jones Fellowship, and the application form is available through this link. The fee is $35; the form contains the complete guidelines. Applications may be submitted through December 18, 2026.
Overview of the Fellowship
The Jesse H. Jones Fellowship from the Texas Institute of Letters (TIL) is aimed at working writers — emerging, mid-level, or restarting. The fellowship is not intended for more successful, established writers who would not benefit markedly from the award.
The Jones Fellowship application is available through this link.
For a project to be eligible for the Jones Fellowship, either its writer must have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some point as of the time of application, or the work’s subject matter must substantially concern Texas. Previous recipients of the Jones or Dobie-Paisano Fellowships are not eligible to apply. All other inducted members of the TIL are eligible to apply.
The fellowship consists of a $10,000 award to fund the completion of a literary work of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction for a general audience, which the applicant will describe in detail.
The recipient may use the fellowship for housing, travel, research, marketing, or any other related cost that helps the writer complete the literary work.
To be considered, an applicant must demonstrate a commitment to the craft of writing, providing some record of prior publishing and/or citing specific examples of workshops, mentor programs, or master classes that they have attended.
The 2027 recipient of the Jones Fellowship will be honored at the TIL’s annual awards banquet, to be held on May 1, 2027, in College Station, Texas.
TIL will announce the winner in mid-March 2027. To receive that announcement via email, or to receive a notification when the application form becomes available for our 2028 fellowship, please join our mailing list.
