The 2026 Bechtel Prize for Innovation in Creative Writing Instruction

Teachers & Writers Magazine is now accepting submissions of essays describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction. We are looking for essays that describe a project or activity that got students excited about writing and fostered a vibrant and dynamic culture of literacy in the classroom. We welcome essays about projects that carved a space for students to reflect on current events and social justice. The experience/project/activity should be one that:

• Helped students identify as writers.
• Opened new pathways to creative writing.
• Engaged students in all parts of the writing process.
• Promoted connections between reading and writing.
• Supported the publication of student writing.
   

The essay itself should:

• Share actual classroom experience, including how students engaged with the project (in other words, this should not be a planned project but one that has already taken place).
• Focus on the classroom experience and what makes it innovative.
• Focus on teaching creative writing (eg. poetry, fiction, memoir, playwriting).

   Please do not send essays that have to do with teaching academic writing or teaching literature in general.

The essay selected to receive the Bechtel Prize will be published in Teachers & Writers Magazine, and the author will receive a $1,000 award.

The 2026 Bechtel Prize Submission Guidelines

• Essays must be previously unpublished and under 2,500 words.
• Please double space and use a standard font such as Times New Roman. 
• Attach your submissions as a Word Document or PDF.
• The judge will select the winner anonymously. Do NOT include your name or any other identifying information in your document.
• We do not accept work generated by large-language models (colloquially referred to as AI). We believe in process-oriented work, and we want to hear from your unique voice and experience. Large-language models may be used as a critical source for your submission only if it: 1) is clearly cited within the body of your work, 2) is distinguishable in-text from a majority of author-generated content, 3) and is used to explore contemporary issues around AI in the classroom. If we feel this criteria has not been met, the submission will be rejected. 
• T&W reserves the right to edit essays prior to publication.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere. 
• Previous winners (first place, runner-up, and honorable mention) must wait at least 2 years before submitting to the prize again.
• Submissions are only accepted through Submittable. Please do not email submissions.

All submissions that conform to the above guidelines will also be considered for general publication. Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered for publication or the Bechtel Prize.

Selection criteria for the Bechtel Prize include the submission’s relevance and appropriateness for readers of Teachers & Writers Magazine, most of whom teach writing at the elementary, secondary, or postsecondary level. Teachers & Writers Magazine publishes work that is concise, lively, and geared toward a general audience. Prospective entrants for the Bechtel Prize are encouraged to visit the magazine to become familiar with the work of Teachers & Writers and to read past winners of the award. 

The submission deadline for the 2026 Bechtel Prize is January 11, 2026.   

Questions regarding these guidelines may be sent to editors@twc.org. Please do not send submissions by email.

About the Bechtel Prize
 The Bechtel Prize is named for Louise Seaman Bechtel, who was an editor, author, collector of children’s books, and teacher. In 1919, Bechtel became the first person to lead a juvenile book department at an American publishing house. Bechtel helped establish the field of children’s literature and was a tireless advocate for the importance of literature in children’s lives. This award honors her legacy.

Teachers & Writers Magazine is published by Teachers & Writers Collaborative as a free resource to teachers of creative writing. The magazine offers a wide and continually changing selection of lesson plans, essays, and interviews tailored for those in the field of creative writing education. We publish both practical and theoretical work and look for writing that is vivid, original, concise, and geared toward a general audience. Complete submission guidelines, including links to samples and descriptions of types of articles we seek, can be found on the submission page of our website.  Please review the guidelines carefully before submitting a query or completed draft.

What We're Looking For:

• Our readers come to the magazine to find both inspiration and original approaches for teaching creative writing in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, as well as in college and community settings.
• Most of the pieces we publish are penned by writers—working in a variety of genres—who teach their art in classrooms or by classroom teachers whose focus includes creative writing. All of our contributors are paired with an editor and undergo a supportive and collaborative editorial process. All work is edited thoroughly.
• We believe writers should be paid for their work, and we provide compensation for published writing. Our compensation for articles ranges from $75 – $150, payable upon publication. All queries and submissions are accepted on spec without a kill fee.

What We're Not Looking For:

• Poetry, fiction, book reviews, or other literary works. T&W Magazine is not a literary magazine. We publish tools, resources, and reflections on the art of teaching creative writing.
• Work written for an academic audience. We prefer a lively, personal style geared toward a general audience.
• Lesson plans or articles focusing on other art forms or non-literary writing (such as visual art and academic or technical writing). Exceptions may be made when integrated with creative writing on a case by case basis.
• Generic content, "Top 10" posts, advertising, or paid links. 

Submitting to Teachers & Writers Magazine

When submitting to Teachers & Writers Magazine, you may submit a completed draft that meets the above criteria. Additionally, we welcome queries (500 words maximum) that propose an article you would like to contribute to the magazine. If submitting a query, please describe the topic(s) your article would address and its relevance to the magazine. We also encourage sharing a writing sample that could give our editors a sense of your writing style. 

For all submissions, please follow the below guidelines:

• If submitting a completed draft, please double space and use a standard font such as Times New Roman. 
• We prefer previously unpublished submissions. We occasionally consider previously published work, and we ask that you clearly indicate if a work has been published elsewhere. 
• We do not accept work generated by large-language models (colloquially referred to as AI). We believe in process-oriented work, and we want to hear from your unique voice and experience. Large-language models may be used as a critical source for your submission only if it: 1) is clearly cited in the body of your work, 2) is distinguishable in-text from a majority of author-generated content, 3) and is used to explore contemporary issues around AI in the classroom. If we feel this criteria has not been met, the submission will be rejected.

Rights:

Upon acceptance, T&W acquires first serial rights. Upon publication, rights revert to the author, with credit to Teachers & Writers Magazine upon future publication. T&W maintains the right to publish articles accepted for Teachers & Writers Magazine in other T&W digital or print publications and to authorize others to reprint articles in the form in which they appeared in the magazine.