Named in honor of the first editor of Western American Literature, and also one of the Western Literature Association’s founders and presidents, the Taylor Award is a prestigious award juried by a team of experts in the field and given annually to a work of scholarship submitted by a graduate student for the annual conference. Creative work is not considered for the Taylor; however, creative work may be submitted to the association’s Creative Writing Award, and graduate student participants have been successful in winning that in the past (see Creative Writing Award).

To be considered for the Taylor Award, submit a complete, conference-length paper (not exceeding 15 pages) that you will be presenting at the conference with a cover letter indicating that you wish to be considered for the Taylor Award.

Email your submission to Bill Handley, chair of the Taylor Judging Committee with the subject line “TAYLOR AWARD SUBMISSION.”

Deadline for submission: August 1, 2023.

The award consists of a $200 cash prize plus a banquet ticket.

The award will be given during the conference banquet. 

Note: To be eligible for this award, you must be registered as a graduate student at the time of the awards ceremony. 

The award can only be received once. 

The J. Golden Taylor Award Recipients