Students Invited to Participate in 2024-2025 Letters About Literature Texas Competition

Austin, TX – Texas 4th-12th graders are invited to participate in Letters About Literature Texas, an annual writing competition administered by the Texas Center for the Book. Students select a book, book series, essay, play, poem, short story or speech and write a letter to an author—living or dead—explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. Submissions will be accepted through Feb. 3, 2025.

The contest is open to all Texas students, grades 4-12, including public, private and homeschool. First through third place winners are awarded in three categories: grades 4-6, grades 7-8, grades 9-12. The first-place prize is $300; second place $200; and third place $100. First place winners will also receive a travel stipend to attend the Texas Library Association 2025 Annual Conference in Dallas in April, where they will be recognized with a special awards ceremony.

APPLICANTS: The Letters About Literature Program is currently open for submissions. Please email a completed entry form, your essay (400-800 words) and a signed permission form (for students under 13) to Texas Center for the Book at tcfb@tsl.texas.gov. Entries must be typed and either a Word document or PDF.  Deadline is 5 p.m. Central time, Monday, February 3, 2025.

“Letters About Literature is an opportunity for students to express how a written work has transformed them or the way they look at the world,” said Michele Chan Santos, Center for the Book Coordinator. “The written work might be a mirror of something they’ve encountered in their own life or community, or a door through which they’ve viewed how someone with a different background or history has experienced life. Our past winners demonstrate how emotional and strong this experience can be.”

To learn more about Letters About Literature Texas 2024-2025, including full rules and submission instructions, visit www.tsl.texas.gov/lettersaboutliterature. The site includes an Official Rules page, and information about prizes.

Parents, guardians, educators, and public and school librarians are encouraged to promote the contest to their students.

One of 50 state centers affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Texas Center for the Book is under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. For more information contact Michele Chan Santos at mcsantos@tsl.texas.gov or visit tsl.texas.gov/centerforthebook.

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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.