The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014, inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years. The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.

Submissions will open for the 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize on Monday, January 6.

The High Desert Museum begins accepting submissions for the 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize. This will be the 11th anniversary of the prize, which honors creative nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy, with deserts as both subject and setting.

The submission deadline is May 1.