Please review our FAQ Page before submitting. Submit one poem/short story/novel excerpt per $20 entry fee during the months of July or August only (if you win a weeklong stay, please make note that the residency period happens within the May, June, July, August, September time frame of the following year). First, pay the entry fee one of TWO ways (Venmo [QR Code above] or Credit Card)—we’ll receive notification from them, so no need to include a payment reference number. Next, create an email with the title of your piece and your name in the subject line (e.g. Drunk Buddha by Jeff Walt) with your unpublished poem/story/novel excerpt attached (as a .doc or .docx); DO NOT put your name or address on the document itself (we’ll submit it for judging ‘electronically blind,’ so no name identifier in the file name either—just the poem title will suffice = DrunkBuddha.doc); however, do include your contact information in a short cover letter in the body of the email. The judging process is anonymous. Send your submission email to thedesertrat@myyahoo.com. Our poetry judge for 2026 is Ruben Quesada whose most recent collection is Brutal Companion (Barrow Street Press, 2024) winner of the Barrow Street Editors Prize. Kim Addonizio will judge in the fiction category; she's the author of the novel The Palace of Illusions (Soft Skull Press, 2014). Addonizio’s awards include two fellowships from the NEA, a Guggenheim, two Pushcart Prizes, and other honors. Also, as in previous years, we have received donation from a local gay man who asked that we bring more LGBTQ+ poets to the desert (let us know in your cover letter email how you identify if you want to be considered for a LGBTQ+ poetry award [within the May, June, July, August, September time frame.]). Questions to jeffwalt@rocketmail.com. We announce the winners on or before October 1 each year via our newsletter (be sure to sign up) and on our facebook page. NOTE TO FICTION ENTRANTS: short stories and novel excerpts should be doubled spaced and not exceed more than 4,000 words.