SMU English Announces The Charles Francis Guittard & Nancy Davis Labastida Endowed Writing Prize

The Charles Francis Guittard & Nancy Davis Labastida Endowed Writing Prize

Submissions due: June 15, 2026

The Department of English at Southern Methodist University is pleased to announce the inaugural Guittard-Labastida Writing Prize for a distinguished work of nonfiction in the areas of biography, creative nonfiction, history, journalism, memoir, narrative nonfiction, personal essay, and true crime. A preference will be given to works of biography or memoir. An award of $5,000 will be given to the author of the winning book, and SMU English will interview the winner for promotional purposes. No entry fee is required to submit. 

To be considered for the Guittard-Labastida Writing Prize:

• The author must be a current student, graduate, faculty member, or retired faculty member of a humanities-related field at Southern Methodist University.
• Books published between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025 are eligible for the inaugural 2026 prize.
• Three complimentary copies of the book must be submitted to the Department of English.

Please send copies along with the author's contact information to the following address:

Guittard and Labastida Endowed Writing Prize
Department of English
Southern Methodist University
PO Box 750435
Dallas, TX 75275-0435

A panel of three judges, selected by the Chair of the Department of English or their designee, will evaluate all submissions. The prize recipient will be announced on December 1, 2026.