How to enroll
Students or parents can submit directly, or a teacher can submit a whole class. No school sign-up is needed.
- Create a free Submittable account (or ask the teacher to submit the class)
- Upload the letter, one entry per student
- Under 13? Upload the signed parent permission form at the same time
Read the official rules before entering.
Official rules ↗In plain words
A statewide writing contest run by the Texas Center for the Book at the Texas State Library. Students pick a book, poem, play or speech and write a personal letter to its author. Entries go in through a free online portal that opens Nov 4, 2026 and closes Jan 27, 2027. First place in each level wins $300 plus a $300 grant for the school library. Winners are honored at the Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio in April 2027.
Readers who have strong feelings about a book and can write honestly
Your kid wants a big national stage. This is a Texas-only contest.
What it takes
Step by step
- 1Pick a book or poem that really mattered to them (not an assigned one)
- 2Write a letter of 400–800 words to the author, with a date, greeting, body, closing and signature
- 3Submit through the Submittable portal between Nov 4, 2026 and Jan 27, 2027
- 4Students under 13 need a hand-signed parent permission form uploaded with the entry
Where it leads
- Portal opensNov 4
- Entries dueJan 27, 2027
- Winners announced
Last year winners were announced in March
- Awards ceremonyApr 2027, San Antonio
Texas Library Association Annual Conference. Winners outside the San Antonio area get a $400 travel stipend.
Key dates
- 11 DAYSSubmission portal opensWed, November 4, 2026
- 95 DAYSEntries due, 6:00 PM CentralWed, January 27, 2027, 6:00 PM Central
Free prep
Add these dates to my calendar
Dates update on their own when an organizer changes them. Nothing about your child is stored.