Each year the Texas Institute of Letters awards more than $23,000 to recognize outstanding literary works in several categories. In addition to these literary prizes, the TIL bestows a lifetime achievement award ($7,000) and the Jones Fellowship ($9,000), for a total of more than $39,000 in annual awards.
Eligibility for the awards requires that the author was born in Texas or has lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some time. A work with subject matter that substantially concerns Texas is also eligible. Beginning in April of 2024, the year listed refers to when the award was presented.
Submissions:
The TIL contests for work publishes in 2024 are open from September 23, 2024 to January 6, 2025.
Instructions on submitting can be found here.
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Award Winners for 2023 and 2024
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Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction ($5,000)
Kay Cattarulla Award for Best Short Story ($1,000)
- “Jewel of the Gulf of Mexico” by Selena Gambrell Anderson, McSweeney’s, 2024.
- “Playing the Ghost” by Bret Anthony Johnston, Texas Monthly, 2023.
Edwin “Bud” Shrake Award for Best Short Nonfiction ($1,000)
- “Amor Eterno” by Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly, 2024.
- “Uvalde Vive” by Gus Bova, The Texas Observer, 2023.
