LAL Home | Official Rules | Prizes| Teacher Submission Guidelines

Texas 4th-12th graders are invited to participate in Letters About Literature, an annual writing competition administered by the Texas Center for the Book. Students read a book or poem and write a letter to an author—living or dead—explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world.

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 those under 13) to Texas Center for the Book at tcfb@tsl.texas.gov. Entries must be typed and either a Word document or PDF.  

Students may also opt to submit their entry online. Please note, either method (emailed entry or online submission) will be accepted; students do not need to submit in both ways. 

Deadline is 5 p.m. Central time, Monday, February 3, 2025. 

Winning students will be recognized and receive their awards at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Dallas, in April 2025.

Full information about cash prizes can be found on our prizes page.

Please contact Michele Chan Santos, Coordinator of the Texas Center for the Book, with questions; you can reach her at mcsantos@tsl.texas.gov.