A cash award of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) is presented by the Sons of the Republic of Texas to the author of a work of creative writing on the Republic of Texas judged best by the Judging Committee. This award is presented at the annual membership meeting in the spring (usually first weekend of April) of the next calendar year. The manuscripts must be written or published during the calendar year for which the award is given. No entry may be submitted more than one time. There is no word limit on the material submitted for the award. The manuscripts may be fiction, nonfiction, poems, essays, plays, short stories, novels, or biographies. The competition is open to all writers everywhere; they need not reside in Texas nor must the publishers be in Texas. Judges each year are winners of the award in the last three years. Five (5) copies of each entry must be mailed to the General Office of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, postmarked no later than January 15. These copies are used by the judges and added to the archives of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. No copies are returned.