Deadline looms for writing contest

Tick tock! Waterston Desert Writing Prize submissions for the 2020 prize are due by midnight, April 1. If you are planning to submit, it’s time to get serious about applying. Find all the guidelines and a link for submissions at Waterston Desert Writing Prize.

The prize honors creative nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy, with the desert as both subject and setting. Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the high desert of Central Oregon, a region that has been her muse for over 30 years, the prize recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.

The prize-winner will receive a $2,500 cash award, a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, and a residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake, Oregon. The winner and finalists will be announced in April. The award event, including “A Desert Conversation,” will take place Wednesday, June 24, at the High Desert Museum.

The prize is funded from an endowment managed by the Oregon Community Foundation, with the impetus for the creation of the endowment provided by actor Sam Waterston, after whom the prize is named.

For more information about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, visit Waterston Desert Writing Prize or email Waterston Desert Writing Prize or call 541-480-3933 or 541-419-0414.