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Sigma Tau Delta Journals

The Sigma Tau Delta journals publish annually the best writing and criticism of undergraduate and graduate active chapter members of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.

Current and Past Publications

All undergraduate and graduate students who are currently enrolled through the end of the spring 2023 semester and are members of active Sigma Tau Delta chapters are invited to submit their work to the Sigma Tau Delta Review and the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle. Chapter Advisors, faculty members, alumni, and honorary members are not eligible to submit.

Submissions for the 2024 journals will be accepted between April 26 and May 15, 2023. Acceptances and announcements will be posted by August 31, 2023.


Submission Guidelines.

Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and Sigma Tau Delta Review

Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle (founded in 1931) is an annual journal of creative writing that publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submissions should not exceed 2,500 words.

Sigma Tau Delta Review (founded in 2005) is an annual journal that publishes critical essays on literature, essays on rhetoric and composition, and essays devoted to pedagogical issues. Submissions should not exceed 3,000 words. Critical essays must follow the Modern Language Association style guidelines as defined in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (latest edition).

Publication and Awards

These journals are refereed, with jurors from across the country selecting those members to be published. The journals have had illustrious head judges including: Jane Brox, Henri Cole, Jim Daniels, W.D. Earhardt, CJ Hribal, Kyoko Mori, Lisa Russ Spaar, and Mako Yoshikawa, to name a few.

The best writing is chosen, from around 1,000 submissions, for publication. Not only do these publications go reach chapters worldwide, but they also honor the best writing in each category, with six awards totaling $2,500. As of 2016, the Sigma Tau Delta journals are catalogued with the Library of Congress. There is also an annual reading at the international convention by any of the published writers in attendance.

Award categories:

  • E. Nelson James Poetry Award ($500)
  • Eleanor B. North Poetry Award ($500)
  • Frederic Fadner Critical Essay Award ($500)
  • Herbert L. Hughes Short Story Award ($500)
  • Elizabeth Holtze Creative Nonfiction Award ($500)

Award Winners

Writing Award Winners for the 2023 Sigma Tau Delta Journal Publications