On November 3, the Texas Center for the Book announced the opening of the Letters About Literature Texas writing contest for 2025-2026. Texas fourth through twelfth graders are invited to participate in this annual writing competition. There are three categories of competition: grades 4-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12. The contest is open to all Texas students, including public, private and homeschool.


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.”


Students may have a strong connection to the theme of the work or with a particular character. They may write about challenging events in their lives that relate to a book they have read.


First-place winners receive $300.00 while second-place winners receive $200.00, and third-place winners receive $100.00. Additionally, the Center will give $300.00 grants to the school libraries of each first-place winner (or for homeschoolers, their public library.) First-place winners will also receive a travel stipend ($400.00) to go towards travel to the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Houston in March 2026, where the winning students will be recognized in a special ceremony.


Application information The online submission portal (https://xtexasstatelibrary.submittable.com/submit) opened November. 3. If you have not entered before, you will need to create a free Submittable account in order to apply. The deadline is 6 p.m. Central time on Monday, January 26, 2026.


Applications are accepted only through the portal. Students younger than age 13 must also submit a signed permission form in order to enter the contest.


To learn more about Letters About Literature Texas 2025-2026, including full rules and submission instructions, visit www.tsl.texas.gov/lettersaboutliterature. The site includes an Official Rules page and information about prizes.


Parents, guardians, educators and public and school librarians are encouraged to promote the contest to their students.

One of 50 state centers affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Texas Center for the Book is under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. For more information contact Michele Chan Santos at mcsantos@tsl.texas.gov or visit tsl.texas.gov/centerforthebook.


About the Texas State Library and Archives Commission


The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their

records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.