Deadline: April 15, 2023
Creative Work: First prize $500, Second prize $250
Scholarly discussion or analysis: First prize $500, Second prize $250
Essays must be about a writer or writers in the Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World, a distinguished list of writers encompassing a broad range of topics and genres. The Sowell Collection includes award-winning poets, novelists, essayists, film-makers, and science journalists. Max Crawford, Sandra Scofield, Rick Bass, Pattiann Rogers, Barbara Ras, and Stephen Graham Jones have strong ties to Texas and many of their stories and poems are infused with Texas landscapes, people, birds and animals. David Quammen, Barry Lopez, Susan Brind Morrow, Gary Paul Nabhan and Gretel Ehrlich have written extensively about their experiences in Greenland, Egypt, Lebanon, Rwanda, Namibia, and Japan. From cross-country skiing to canoeing and kayaking, from climate change to butterfly migration, from gardening in the desert to deer hunting in the Texas Hill country, there’s a writer and a book, poem or story to engage every Texas Tech student.
There are no requirements or restrictions as to length. Essays submitted as class assignments are also eligible.
For a complete list of Sowell Collection writers and descriptions of their works, please see our web page at http://www.swco.ttu.edu/Sowell/SowellCollectionSWC.php
Please send essays as e-mail attachments to Kristin Loyd (kristin.d.loyd@ttu.edu) using Sowell Essay Award as the subject line. Do not include any identifying information (your name) in the essay.
A list of previous essay awards can be found at:
http://www.swco.ttu.edu/Sowell/Contest_winners.php
Funded by the Office of the Provost.
