The WILLA Literary Award, named in honor of Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Willa Cather, recognizes the best in literature, featuring women’s or girls’ stories set in the North American West, that are published each year.
The entry period for the 2027 WILLA Literary Award, for books published in 2026, is open November 1, 2026 to February 1, 2027.
Note: The Guidelines and Submission Instructions have been updated.
Please read them carefully before submitting your book.
Please read the Rubric for your Category before entering. Questions? Contact the WILLA Chair.
WWW is proud to announce the 2026 WILLA Literary Award Competition Winners and Finalists, representing the best published literature in 2025 for women’s or girls’ stories set in the North American West.
Winners and Finalists will be honored during the Annual Conference, October 15 – 17, 2026.
Women Writing the West®
2026 WILLA Literary Award WINNERS and FINALISTS
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS
Winner: The Mollys B. by Joann Howeth
Editor: Kayleigh Rucinski
Illustrator: Rupert Van Wyk
Publisher: Blue Balloon Books
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Winner: The Llano County Mermaid Club by Kathleen M. Rodgers
Editor: Elise McHugh
Publisher: The University of New Mexico Press
Finalist: Penitence: A Novel by Kristin Koval
Editor: Deb Futter
Publisher: Celadon Books, Macmillan
CREATIVE NONFICTION
Winner: The River’s Daughter: A Memoir by Bridget Crocker
Editor: Cindy Spiegel
Publisher: Spiegel and Grau
Finalist: Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hotshot Crew, and the Burning American West by Kelly Ramsey
Editor: Colin Harrison
Publisher: Scribner
Finalist: The Last Cows: On Ranching, Wonder, and a Woman’s Heart by Kathryn Wilder
Editor: Clark Whitehorn
Publisher: Bison Books
HISTORICAL FICTION
Winner: Lost and Broken Things by Linda Sandifer
Editor: Linda Sandifer
Publisher: Strathaven Books
Finalist: Tough Luck: A Novel, by Sandra Dallas
Editor: Elisabeth Dyssegaard
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Publishing
MIDDLE GRADE FICTION/NONFICTION
Winner: When the Sky Turned to Dust by Catherine Matthias
Editor: Catherine Matthias
Publisher: Moon Glow Books, LLC
Finalist: Fire, Friendship & Fear by Nancy Oswald
Editor: Nancy Oswald
Publisher: Burro Books
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Winner: Bone Hash by Skye Griffith
Editor: Geoff Habiger
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Finalist: Elita: A Novel by Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum
Editor: Marisa Emily Siegel
Publisher: Tri-Quarterly / Northwestern University Press
POETRY
Winner: The Seeds by Cecily Parks
Editor: Carey Salerno
Publisher: Alice James Books
Finalist: Missing Orion by Barbara Bloom
Editor: Christine Cote
Publisher: Shanti Arts
Finalist: Forgive This Trespass by Karen Kay Knauss
Editor: Karen Kay Knauss
Publisher: Peach Tree Press
ROMANCE
Winner: Lasting Promise by Susanna Lane
Editor: Rachel Santino
Publisher: Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates
Finalist: Elinore: Wild Rose Ridge Historical by Dalyn Weller
Editor: Douglas Weller
Publisher: Morning Mocha Press
SCHOLARLY NONFICTION
Winner: Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish by Barbara Boustead
Editor: Dedra McDonald Birzer
Publisher: South Dakota Historical Society Press
Finalist: The Sharpshooter and the Showman: May Lillie, Pawnee Bill, and Their Wild West Show by Chris Enss
Editor: Will Harmon
Publisher: FarCountry Press
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/NONFICTION
Winner: Along the Trail by Kaci Curtis
Editor: E. L. Felder
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Finalist: Saving Her Prairie by Heidi M. Thomas
Editor: Heidi M. Thomas
Publisher: SunCatcher Publications
The 2025 WILLA Literary Award Categories
Contemporary
FICTION:
Entries will feature the stories of western women and girls set within the fifty years prior to the book’s publication date.
HISTORICAL FICTION:
Books featuring women’s or girls’ stories set in the North American West prior to contemporary times. WWW defines Historical Fiction as any story set a minimum of 50 years prior to the publication date.
ROMANCE:
Includes Historical and Contemporary.
Entries in the Romance Category should have a central plot focus on the development of a relationship between two people. The plot builds toward an optimistic conclusion without including the use of erotica or erotic themes.
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Mystery entries must feature stories which focus on a puzzling crime, situation, or circumstance that needs to be solved by the protagonist. Thriller entries must feature plots which give the reader heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, anticipation, and anxiety.
CREATIVE NONFICTION:
Entries are true accounts, well told, featuring the story of a woman or girl and set in the North American West. Includes autobiographical works.
SCHOLARLY NONFICTION:
Entries in this category are typically academic or
educational in nature. Scholarship, research, organization and presentation are some of the judging criteria. Includes edited diaries, also anthologies.
CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS:
Entries must have a storyline that is appropriate for ages 4-8, with short, easy-to-follow sentences. They must also have a narrative that is easy to read out loud with pictures that match the story.
MIDDLE GRADE FICTION AND NONFICTION
Fiction entries can be written about issues important to modern day readers ages 9-14, such as divorce, bullying, but without foul language or sexual content. Nonfiction books should show the importance of research, with topics that challenge readers.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION AND NONFICTION:
Entries can range from young adult books with mature themes to picture books and graphic novels; from fiction to nonfiction to poetry.
The WILLA Literary Award Guidelines
Download The WILLA Literary Award Guideline PDF for complete information
Previous WILLA Literary Award
Winners and Finalists
DONATE TO THE WILLA LITERARY AWARD FUND
Your generous donation supports the annual WILLA Literary Award, which honors the best in published literature featuring women’s or girls’ stories set in all North America west of the Mississippi and includes Alaska and Hawaii. Donations of any amount are accepted throughout the year and are tax deductible!