The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014, inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years. The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.
Submissions will open for the 2025 Waterston Desert Writing Prize on Monday, January 6. Check back soon for more details!
2024 Guest Judge Sam Waterston
Known for his work in theater, television, and film, actor Sam Waterston gained stardom portraying Jack McCoy on the NBC crime series Law & Order (1994–2010, 2022–), for which he has received a Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award. Other notable roles include Grace and Frankie (2015–2022), The Newsroom (2012 -2014), The Great Gatsby (1974), and The Killing Fields (1984). Accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award and a BAFTA Award. He is the brother of Waterston Desert Writing Prize Founder, Ellen Waterston.
2024 Keynote Speaker Tucker Malarkey
Nationally bestselling author of the critically acclaimed and national bestselling novels An Obvious Enchantment and Resurrection. Her first major work of non-fiction, Stronghold, describes one man’s journey to save salmon habitat in the US and Russia. Stronghold was an editor’s pick for The New York Times, National Book Review, Outside and Forbes. With a career that began at The Washington Post, Tucker’s love of human culture and wilderness have since taken her all over the world.
2024 Winner Leath Tonino
The 2024 Waterston Desert Writing Prize winner is Leath Tonino.
Tonino is a full-time freelance writer who sold his earliest magazine stories while still an undergraduate at Colorado College where he studied philosophy and ecology. He has made some 50 backcountry trips on the Colorado Plateau, in the Mojave Desert, and across the Great Basin. His creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry have appeared in Outside, Men’s Journal, Orion, The Sun, High Country News, Sierra, New England Review, The Progressive, Adventure Journal, and many other publications. Tonino also is the author of two essay collections published by Trinity University Press, most recently The West Will Swallow You.
Questions? Please direct questions to waterston@highdesertmuseum.org
Reception presented by
With support from
