Student membership in Sigma Tau Delta is only by invitation to undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at a college or university with an active Sigma Tau Delta chapter. It is an outward recognition of personal accomplishment and signifies that those invited to join Sigma Tau Delta have met the Society’s high standards of academic excellence. Benefits of membership include:
Academic Recognition
- Members receive a personalized digital Sigma Tau Delta membership certificate and the official Society pin to signify high achievement in English language, writing, and literature.
- Members may wear Sigma Tau Delta regalia at graduation and other important ceremonies to celebrate their accomplishments.
Scholarships
Members are eligible to apply for a variety of Sigma Tau Delta scholarships valued at up to $6,000 each.
Writing Awards and Opportunities
- Members may submit papers for publication in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and Sigma Tau Delta Review. Works selected for publication are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes.
- Members may submit articles to WORDY by Nature, the official Sigma Tau Delta blog.
Internships
- Members may apply for Sigma Tau Delta co-sponsored internships with major publishing companies and humanities-based organizations such as Penguin Random House, W. W. Norton & Company, NCTE, The Modern Language Association, and Lambda Literary.
- Members are eligible for affiliate internship and summer program opportunities with institutions such as Girton College, the Library of Congress, and York St. John University.
Annual Convention
- Members may submit papers for presentation at the annual Sigma Tau Delta convention. Works selected for presentation are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes.
- Members who attend the annual convention have opportunities to hear students from throughout the US and abroad present their creative and critical writing, to attend sessions on student leadership and chapter activities, and to listen to presentations by noted authors. Featured speakers at recent conventions include Charles Baxter (2016), Jeff VanderMeer (2017), Mary Norris (2018), Tess Taylor (2019), Terry Tempest Williams (2020), Karen Auvinen (2021), Nic Stone (2022), Brenda Peynado (2023), Carl Phillips (2024), and Natalie Diaz (2025).
Student Leadership and Community Service
- Members may compete for officer positions and take part in community service projects via campus chapters.
- Members may compete for Student Leadership positions at the regional and Society levels. Student Leaders serve on the Sigma Tau Delta Student Leadership Committee and represent student needs and concerns to the Sigma Tau Delta Board of Directors.
Career Advancement
- Members may use their honor society affiliation as a tangible sign of academic success to help advance their professional career.
- Members meet one of the US Civil Service Commission requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level in numerous professional and technical occupations in the Federal service, thus beginning employment at a higher level and higher salary. Visit USAJobs to search for positions listed with the United States Office of Personnel Management.
Lifetime Affiliation and Fellowship
- Members have many opportunities to network with other Sigma Tau Deltans through local chapter activities, regional events, the annual Sigma Tau Delta convention, and online sites such as Facebook, Discord, and WORDY by Nature, the official Sigma Tau Delta blog.
