Overview
Scholarship type
Merit based
Number of scholarships to award
One
Grant
$2,000 honorarium + other costs
Scholarship coverage
- tuition fee reduction
- travel expenses
- accommodation
- other
Description
The award is named for George Garrett (1929–2008), who made exceptional contributions to his fellow writers as a teacher, mentor, editor, friend, board member, and good spirit. Garrett served for many years as the editor of Intro, an annual anthology of work by emerging writers; he served as one of the founding members of the AWP Board of Directors; he taught creative writing and literature for more than forty years; and he authored more than thirty books.
Contemporary literature and AWP have benefited from the efforts of many teachers, writers, editors, and administrators who have done their utmost to help the next generation of writers find their way as artists and as literary professionals. In bestowing the annual George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature, AWP recognizes a few of those individuals.
Benefits
The award includes a $2,000 honorarium, in addition to travel, accommodations, and registration to attend AWP's annual conference, where the award is publicly announced and conferred.
Eligibility
The award will be given to a living individual who has demonstrated exceptional generosity and service to writers by excellent work in one or more of the following activities:
- Teaching creative writing and literature
- Serving as a mentor, supporter, or guide to writers
- Publishing or editing literature, especially works by emerging talents
- Building new resources that benefit writers (reading series, presses, awards, endowments, fellowships, stipends, programs, community centers, foundations, etc.)
- Administering to programs or institutions that benefit writers or that expand audiences for contemporary authors
- Working generally to make North America a more supportive place for contemporary literature and its makers
To receive the award, the recipient must be willing to travel to the annual AWP Conference & Bookfair.
Any living individual who meets the above criteria may be nominated for the award except for the following: members of the current AWP Board of Directors or AWP staff; family members of the AWP Board of Directors or AWP staff; and former AWP board members or AWP staff who served AWP within the last four years.
Scholarship requirements
Disciplines
Any
Locations
United States
Nationality
Any
Study experience required
None
Age
Unknown
Application
Application deadline
31 Oct 2026
Letters of nomination are accepted September 1–October 31 annually via our online submission portal.
To nominate a candidate for the George Garrett Award, please consult their award guidelines.