Writing Competition: Sowell Emerging Writers Prize

The Sowell Collection at Texas Tech University, in partnership with Terrain.org and Texas Tech University Press, invites book-length manuscript submissions of poetry in English on themes about and related to the natural world by writers who have published no more than one book in any genre.

We are especially interested in submissions that explore the relationship between human communities and nature and may be informed by scientific inquiry and/or personal experience.

The Sowell Emerging Writers Prize will accept submissions in nonfiction, poetry, and fiction on a rotational basis and in that order: poetry in 2023, fiction in 2024, nonfiction in 2025, and so on.

The Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community, and the Natural World at Texas Tech University holds the personal and professional papers of prominent American writers on the natural world. The Sowell Collection was established in 2001 when it acquired the papers of National Book Award–winning writer Barry Lopez. Since then, the Collection has acquired the papers of some 30 American writers including Rick Bass, David James Duncan, Gretel Ehrlich, William Kittredge, J. Drew Lanham, Bill McKibben, Susan Brind Morrow, Gary Nabhan, Robert Michael Pyle, David Quammen, Pattiann Rogers, and others.

Submission Guidelines 

• Submissions open September 15

• Submission deadline: November 15

• Manuscripts should be at least 48 pages (i.e., book length and not a chapbook)

• The winner will receive book publication by Texas Tech University Press and a $1,000 honorarium.

• The reading fee is $25.

• Five finalists will be announced in January 2024, and the winner will be announced by the end of February

• Submissions must be previously unpublished (publication of excerpts or individual poems in literary journals and magazines is acceptable, as are portions that contain previously published chapbooks up to 28 pages). All forms of poetry are eligible, as are hybrid forms and work with images.

• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please withdraw your manuscript promptly if it is accepted elsewhere for publication.

• Include a bio of fewer than 100 words in your cover letter. Do not include your name on the title page or in the header or footer of the manuscript. The Sowell Emerging Writers Prize encourages underrepresented voices to submit their work for consideration.

• Submittable is now requiring email validation. If you have difficulty validating your email, you may complete the form at www.submittable.com/help/submitter.

Submit your entry here.