The latest slate of TIL literary contests is now open with prizes adding up to $25,750. In addition, the TIL will bestow a lifetime achievement award ($7,000) and the Jones Fellowship ($9,000), for a total of more than $41,000 in annual awards.
The Texas Institute of Letters has named its distinguished judges for its literary contests, which are now open for submissions. Judges will select finalists and winners in fourteen categories for the best works published in 2025. Winners will be awarded at the TIL’s annual meeting, to be held on April 17-19, 2026, in College Station, Texas.
To submit works for award consideration:
1. Complete online contest entry form and pay entry fee ($20 for book awards / $10 for short story & short nonfiction awards). Note that for a work to be eligible, either 1) the writer must have lived in Texas for a minimum of five consecutive years at some time or 2) the work’s subject matter must substantially concern Texas.
2. Submissions of works must be mailed to the appropriate judging committee members. Addresses are listed below. Since there are three members for each committee, you will need to send a copy of the work to each judge. Include a brief note inside each copy of the book or clipped to the article that identifies the contest that you are entering.
3. Authors or their representatives should not have any contact with judges other than to submit work to each judge.
4. A book can only be entered in one category.
5. Submissions must be postmarked no later than Friday, January 9, 2026.
6. All works entered must be published in a print format during 2025, with four exceptions. Works for the Cattarulla and Shrake awards must be published in print OR digital format during 2025. Unpublished manuscripts and online publications will not be considered. Submissions for the two biennial awards, the Aldama and the Diehl Fraser, are for books published in 2024 or 2025.
7. To be considered, an entry must be the first published version of the work.
8. A person or publisher may enter only one work per author per contest category for the writing contests; a person or publisher may enter only one work per translator for the translation contest. In other words, a publisher may enter different works by different authors in one category but cannot submit more than one book by the same author or translator in one category.
- The only exception to the ‘one work per author per contest category’ rule is the Shrake Award for Short Nonfiction: “This prize is for the best article or essay appearing in newspapers, journals, or magazines. Multiple articles by a single author may be submitted — with a total not exceeding 10,000 words, as long as those articles are parts of a series or by a columnist.”
9. The Cattarulla and Shrake awards allow for the submission of works that have been published in print OR digital formats during 2025. Eligible digital publications should be: refereed and edited journals with an acceptance/rejection policy (not self-publishing); stand-alone digital publications (e.g. Narrative Magazine) or online publications of established print magazines or newspapers (e.g. Atlantic Monthly); and digital publications with a discernible publication date. The digital publication of the short story or short nonfiction should be the first published version of the work. Special submission instructions: print the digital entry, with URL at the top of the first page, and submit work to judges by regular mail.
The Texas Institute of Letters is a non-profit established in 1936 to promote interest in Texas literature and to recognize literary achievement. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most recognized and serious writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, and scholarship. The membership includes winners of the MacArthur Fellowship, Man Booker Prize, Pulitzer Prizes in drama, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as prizes awarded by PEN, and dozens of other regional and national award and grant-giving institutions.
The concepts of diversity and affirmative action guide the policies and programs of the Texas Institute of Letters. Our goal is to provide equal opportunity and representation to all distinguished writers without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected confidential information.
