Applications are Open for the Waterston Desert Writing Prize

Name of the Event: Waterston Desert Writing Prize

Date: 25 September 2025

Place: High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, USA

Last Date of Application: 1 May 2025

Link to Apply:

Apply Here

The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014 and inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years. The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.

In 2025, the Prize will recognize the winner with a $3,000 cash award and a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon on September 25, 2025. Proposals will be reviewed by the Waterston Desert Writing Prize Advisory Committee and the 2025 guest judge.

Eligibility:

Nonfiction writers who illustrate artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy with the desert as both subject and setting. The award supports literary nonfiction writers who are completing, proposing, or considering the creation of a book-length manuscript. It is recommended the writing sample submitted is part of the proposed project or closely represents it in content and style.

How To Apply:

• Step 1- Fill out the online application form on Submittable. This form is the ONLY location identifying information (your name, address, email) should appear.

  
  

• ​Step 2- Upload ONE Word (.doc or .docx) or PDF file. Combine the three parts of the application described below into one document and do not place your name or other identifying information on any page of the document.

  1. Biographical Statement

  2. Proposal Title and Description

  3. Writing Sample

  4. No use of generative AI tools permitted

     
     

• Step 3- Submit materials. All applications must be submitted via Submittable.

We are not the official organisers of the program. If you have any queries regarding it, kindly contact the organisers at - waterston@highdesertmuseum.org