2027 Jesse H. Jones Fellowship ($10,000 award)

2027 Jesse H. Jones Fellowship ($10,000 award)

If you are a working writer (emerging, mid-level, or restarting) who meets the eligibility criteria, please fill out and submit this application for the annual fellowship awarded by the Texas Institute of Letters, a not-for-profit literary honor society celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2026.
1) The Jesse H. Jones Fellowship from the Texas Institute of Letters (TIL) is aimed at working writers — emerging, mid-level, or restarting. The fellowship is not intended for more successful, established writers who would not benefit markedly from the award.

2) For a project to be eligible for the Jones Fellowship, either its writer must have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some point as of the time of application, or the work's subject matter must substantially concern Texas. Previous recipients of the Jones or Dobie-Paisano Fellowships are not eligible to apply. All other inducted members of the TIL are eligible to apply.

3) The fellowship consists of a $10,000 award to fund the completion of a literary work of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction for a general audience, which the applicant will describe in detail.

4) The recipient may use the fellowship for housing, travel, research, marketing, or any other related cost that helps the writer complete the literary work.

5) To be considered, an applicant must demonstrate a commitment to the craft of writing, providing some record of prior publishing and/or citing specific examples of workshops, mentor programs, or master classes that they have attended.

6) The application fee is $35. The application period is October 1, 2026 to December 18, 2026.

7) Applications will be judged by TIL members Sharon Bridgforth, Robin Davidson, Preston Lewis, Rudy Ruiz, and Mimi Swartz. TIL member Natalia Treviño will serve as an alternate.

8) Applicants should neither establish contact with the judges nor discuss the fellowship with any judge until the winner is announced in March 2027.

9) For more information about the Texas Institute of Letters, including details about the annual TIL Literary Awards covering more than a dozen categories, please visit www.texasinstituteofletters.org. For questions about this fellowship 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 (*).
Applicant's Name
Email Address
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Phone Number
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Address

Street Address

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Enter a statement describing and confirming the project's eligibility.

For a project to be eligible for the Jones Fellowship, either its writer must have lived in Texas for at least five consecutive years at some point as of the time of application, or the work's subject matter must substantially concern Texas. Previous recipients of the Jones or Dobie-Paisano Fellowships are not eligible to apply. All other inducted members of the TIL are eligible to apply. 100 words maximum.0/100
List your publications and any literary awards.

500 words maximum0/500
List any workshops and/or writing programs you have attended.

500 words maximum0/500
Explain how this fellowship will help in the development of your career. You may also include any additional pertinent information here, including financial need or specifics about identity.

1,000 words maximum0/1000
Describe clearly and concisely what you plan to work on during the fellowship. Answer these questions: 1) What are you working on? Tell us the genre (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.). 2) At what stage is the project (planning, partial, completed first draft, etc.)? 3) Why is your project important or necessary?

1,000 words maximum0/1000
Upload in PDF format a sample from the proposed project that will best help judges evaluate the quality and content of your writing. The sample must be no longer than 50 manuscript pages for prose and no longer than 30 pages for poetry. The formatting must follow industry standards.

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The TIL celebrates the recipient of our Jones Fellowship at our annual awards banquet.

Can you please confirm your availability—as of the current date—to attend the awards ceremony in College Station, Texas, on May 1, 2027, should you be selected as the recipient?
Currently available to attend the awards ceremony in College Station on May 1, 2027?
Application Fee
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Fee for 2027 Jesse H. Jones Fellowship
$35.00

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2027 Jesse H. Jones Fellowship ($10,000 award)

Application Fee*

Application Fee