CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Sept. 19, 2025 – The Wyoming Arts Council is now accepting applications for the 2026 Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award Inspired by Nature and the Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Award for Writing by a Woman. The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award of $1,000 is given annually for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script informed by a relationship with the natural world. The Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Award, also $1,000, is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script written by a woman writer.
Both awards are designed to bring attention to writers in Wyoming who have not yet received wide recognition for their work, and to support emerging writers at crucial times in their careers. Poets, fiction writers, essayists, and script writers who have published no more than one book in each genre and who are not full-time students or faculty members are invited to apply by submitting manuscripts and an entry form by the deadline.
The application deadline is Nov. 14, 2025. Applications are accepted online via Submittable at wyomingartscouncil.
Marina Richie is this year's juror. Richie is the author of Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher, which won the 2024 John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing, the 2022 National Outdoor Book Award, and a 2022 Foreword Indies Award. A nature writer and environmental advocate based in Bend, Ore., she explores kinship with wildlife and the protection of wild places through prose, poetry, and public engagement.
The Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award Inspired by Nature and the Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Award for Writing by a Woman are made possible through the generosity of Neltje.
The application link above provides a complete list of eligibility requirements and additional information. You can also learn more about the Wyoming Arts Council at wyomingartscouncil.org.
Contact: Kimberly Mittelstadt, (307) 274-6673; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.