1) To be eligible to enter this Texas Institute of Letters (TIL) literary contest, either the writer must have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some point, or the work's subject matter must substantially concern Texas. Cowritten works are also eligible if at least 50% of the credited authors have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some point.
2) To be eligible, a work must have been published in either English or Spanish in a print or digital format in 2026. Eligible print publications include books, chapbooks, journals, magazines, and newspapers. Eligible digital publications include refereed/edited publications with an acceptance/rejection policy and online publications of established print magazines or newspapers (e.g. Atlantic Monthly). Digital publications must have a discernible publication date. Posthumous publications are eligible.
3) To be considered, an entry must be the first published version of the work. Translations are not eligible for this award. If a work had its digital publication in one calendar year but appeared in a related print publication dated the subsequent year, the work is eligible for submission only for the latter year.
4) Only one work per writer (including cowrites) may be submitted for this award, and an individual work may be entered in only one writing category of the TIL literary contests.
5) A copy of the submitted single poem written in English or Spanish must be provided to each of the three judges for this category: Robert Giron, C.M. Mayo, and Jasminne Méndez.
6) Each judge's mailing address and preference for receiving physical or digital versions of the work will be provided upon the submission of this form and receipt of $15 entry fee. When sending physical copies of the work, please include a brief note with the name of the TIL award category.
7) Physical submissions must be postmarked no later than January 8, 2027.
8) Contest entrants and their representatives should neither establish contact with contest judges beyond the submission of their work nor discuss the contest with any judge until the winners are announced in March 2027.
9) For more information about the TIL Literary Awards, including previous winners in more than a dozen categories, please visit www.texasinstituteofletters.org. For questions about this award that are not answered in the guidelines above, please contact info@texasinstituteofletters.org.
Required information in the form below is indicated with a red asterisk (*).