Texas State Library accepting submissions for the 2026 - 2027 Letters about Literature competition

AUSTIN, Texas (KAUZ) - The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and the Texas Center for the Book are now accepting student submissions for the 2026 - 2027 Letters About Literature writing contest.

Texas 4th through 12th graders are invited to participate in this annual writing competition.

In this competition, 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.

The theme of Letters About Literature is “Read. Be Inspired. Write Back.”

There are three categories of competition:

• grades 4-6
• grades 7-8
• grades 9-12

The contest is open to all Texas students, including public, private, and homeschool. TSLAC shared that students can write about a strong connection to the theme of the work or with a particular character, or challenging events in their lives that relate to a book they have read.

Prizes for students and libraries

The Texas Center for the Book stated that expanded prizes are available this year for school libraries, along with a new Honorable Mention category.

Prizes for the winner and their schools are as follows:

• First place winners receive $300
  • The school library of each first place winner will be awarded a $300 grant
• Second place winners receive $200
  • The school libraries of the second place winners will receive $200 grants
• Third place winners receive $100
  • The school libraries of third place winners will receive $100 grants

New this year is an Honorable Mention category, where winners will receive $75, and their school libraries will receive $75 grants.

TSLAC shared that in all categories, if the winning student is homeschooled, the library grant will go to their local public library.

How to apply for the Letters About Literature competition

The online submission portal opened on Wednesday, November 4. Applications are accepted only through the portal found below:

The online submission portal can be found here.

TSLAC said that those who have not entered before will need to create a free Submittable account in order to apply.

The deadline for the 2026 - 2027 Letters About Literature competition is 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27, 2027.

Students younger than age 13 must also submit a signed permission form to enter the contest, according to the Texas Center for the Book.

More information about Letters About Literature Texas 2026-2027, including full rules, prize information and submission instructions, can be found here.