Writers have just a couple of weeks to submit their work to the High Desert Museum’s 2022 Waterston Desert Writing Prize. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on May 1.

The Waterston Prize honors literary nonfiction with the desert as subject and setting, with judges taking into consideration artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy. The Prize supports literary nonfiction writers who are completing a book-length manuscript focused on any desert region.

The Prize award is $3,000, with the winner also receiving a residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake, an arts and sciences residency campus located on Summer Lake, and they’ll be featured in a reception and awards ceremony at the High Desert Museum.

The Waterston Prize was inspired by Bend author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert and recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide, both as an ecosystem and part of the human narrative. For more info and submission guidelines, visit highdesertmuseum.org/waterston-prize.

“With less than one month left in the submission window, we’re anticipating a wealth of thought-provoking work,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw. “The Waterston Desert Writing Prize submissions take us to deserts around the globe.”

For info on the Waterston Student Essay Competition, open to writers in grades 9 through 12 in Crook, Deschutes, Harney, Jefferson and Lake counties, visit highdesertmuseum.org/waterston-student-prize.