The LAURA Short Fiction Award opens for submission on February 1, 2026
Closing Soon
2026 submissions for The WILLA Literary Award close February 1, 2026
New Release: “Lost and Broken Things” by Linda Sandifer
Set amid the wild beauty of Idaho’s backcountry, a young shepherdess and her "brother" desperately try to fight the odds when their future collides with the past. 1929. Fourteen-year-old Lily Statton and eleven-year-old Davy think it’s going to be just another summer herding the family’s sheep in the mountains. But things take an unexpected turnContinue reading "New Release: “Lost and Broken Things” by Linda Sandifer"
New Release: “Lasting Promise” by Susanna Lane
“Lasting Promise” is an emotionally charged and rich frontier romance that relates a story of love, trust, and resilience. Gus Quaid and Tori Barrett, had faced hardships in different ways and now, against the harsh landscape of the American plains, they must learn to trust each other. Beyond storytelling, it is a literary journey thatContinue reading "New Release: “Lasting Promise” by Susanna Lane"
DOWNING Journalism Award Celebrates 10 Years
By Linda Wommack, DOWNING Journalism Award Chair As we get ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Women Writing the West DOWNING Journalism Award, let's reflect on the past, the present and the future of the award. In 2016 Women Writing the West had two awards, the WILLA for literature and the LAURA forContinue reading "DOWNING Journalism Award Celebrates 10 Years"
The DOWNING Journalism Award
Submissions Are Now Being Accepted. For more information or submit your entry, visit The DOWNING Journalism Award page on the WWW website.
