Submissions are open for the Jan Garton Prairie Heritage Award. Sponsored by the nonprofit organization Prairie Heritage, Inc., the annual award honors a book in any genre “that illuminates the heritage of North America’s mid-continental prairies.” The organization particularly looks to celebrate books that center non-European experiences of life in the region, as well as those that consider how “denizens of the prairie, human and non-human, have lived or can live together without the destruction and exterminations that have characterized the past.” The winner will receive $1,000.
Authors, publishers, and the general public may nominate books for the award. Submit two copies of a book published between 2017 and 2020 by mail by July 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
The mission of Prairie Heritage, Inc., is to “preserve the tallgrass prairie and its heritage,” with a particular concern for sharing the stories of the region’s Black settlers. The organization is based in Junction City, Kansas. The 2020 winner of its book award is Phong Nguyen, who received the honor for his novel The Adventures of Joe Harper (Outpost19, 2016).