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.
The Bechtel Prize
Each year the Teachers & Writers Magazine editorial board awards the Bechtel Prize and a $1,000 honorarium for an essay describing a creative writing teaching experience, project, or activity that demonstrates innovation in creative writing instruction. We are look 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. The essay selected to receive the Bechtel Prize will be published in Teachers & Writers Magazine, and the author will receive a $1,000 award.
Selection criteria for the Bechtel Prize include the project’s relevance and appropriateness for readers of Teachers & Writers Magazine, most of whom teach writing at the elementary, secondary, or post-secondary level. Teachers & Writers Magazine publishes work that is concise, lively, and geared to a general audience. Prospective entrants for the Bechtel Prize are encouraged to visit the magazine to become familiar with the work we publish.
The Bechtel Prize opens for submissions in the fall and the winner is announced in the spring of each year. To learn more about submission guidelines, please visit Teachers & Writers Magazine:
Previous Bechtel Prize Winners
2023
William Camponovo, You Must Change Your Life: Demystifying and Remystifying Poetry in the Classroom
2022
Shilpi Suneja, Multilingual Approaches Toward English Prose
2021
Paola Capó-García, Making Sense of It All: Highschool Poetry in the Age of Zoom
2020
Amy Young, Jibseria: A Garden Mythology
2019
Emily James, At First the Ground Shakes
2018
Julie Landsman, Words, Images and Music: How We Enter
2017
M.K. Rainy, I Hate Writing: On the Necessity of Being Vulnerable
2016
Christian McEwen, Alastair Reed: Traveling Light
2013
Chris Belden, Inside Words: How to Teach Writing in Prison
2012
Barbara Flug Colin, Now Let’s Stare at the Purple
2011
Janet L. Bland, The Possum
2010
Garth Greenwell, A Native Music: Writing the City in Sofia, Bulgaria
2009
Emily Raboteau, A Slip Into the Breaks: Teaching Jazz Poetry
2008
Michael Bazzett, Within Words: Making Students at Home in the Language of Literature
2007
Anna Sopko, Writing Standards: Finding One’s Way with Words