NEHS is partnering with Lambda Literary to honor the best creative writing by NEHS student members representing or celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.
Lambda Literary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting LGBTQIA+ literature and supporting LGBTQIA+ writers, hosts the annual Lambda Literary Awards, recognizing excellence in LGBTQIA+ books across various genres, and offers numerous programs to nurture and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices. Through its initiatives, Lambda Literary fosters a vibrant and inclusive literary community, celebrating and advocating for LGBTQIA+ storytelling. NEHS is honored to partner with them on this award.
The Lambda Ampersand Award for LGBTQIA+ Writing acknowledges the many years LGBTQIA+ voices have been overlooked or silenced, especially in school settings. NEHS proudly champions and showcases the incredible talents and stories of LGBTQIA+ NEHS student members and allies.
The first LGBT& Award was created in 2022 for university students by Dr. Kevin Stemmler and Dr. Larry Dennis, active members of Sigma Tau Delta. Both Kevin and Larry have been instrumental in promoting and celebrating LGBTQIA+ writing in all its forms, and we are deeply grateful for their support in extending this award to high school students.
The award’s name reflects the evolving landscape of language and scholarship. Inspired by GLAAD’s “&Together” campaign, which uses a blue ampersand to unite diverse voices and identities, Kevin and Larry chose to use the ampersand in the title of this award. While it was the original 27th letter of the English Alphabet, today the ampersand is used to denote unity and connections. It symbolizes inclusivity, making it the perfect fit for this NEHS award, which celebrates the power of language and symbols.
This award is a celebration of the diverse LGBTQIA+ voices that have too often been ignored or unheard, and brings their stories to the forefront.
Awards
1 x First place: $400
2 x Second place: $300
2 x Third place: $200
3 x Honorable mention: $100
Eligibility
Applicants must be NEHS student members enrolled in a school with an active NEHS chapter.
Submission Requirements
Student writers should submit work of no more than 2,000 words in one of the following categories:
- Poetry
- Short fiction
- Creative nonfiction
Submitted work must be LGBTQIA+ focused.
Submission Process
- All submissions must be made via the NEHS AwardSpring platform during the Spring Awards Cycle.
- Student members must upload a Microsoft Word file (.doc/.docx) of their creative writing.
- Applicants must complete demographic data questions prior to submitting their documentation.
- All student writers must include a 150-word (max.) third-person biography and high-resolution portrait photo.
- Applicants must agree that they are willing to provide a written report and photos detailing the impact the creative process and award has had on them, which can be used by NEHS to promote this and other opportunities in future years should they win an award.
All winning submissions will be shared with Lambda Literary.
Evaluation Process
All submissions will be evaluated by at least three members of the NEHS evaluation team.
The written part of the submission will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories:
- Originality of work
- Level of LGBTQIA+ representation
- Impact
- Language and style
- Structure and organization
- Creativity
