From Whim to Award: Winning a Sigma Tau Delta Journal Award

I was looking out the second floor window of my dorm building, watching students below hurry by, contemplating. It was overcast. The kind of overcast that makes the sky look flat and cold. Typical Pittsburgh weather. In the weeks prior, I had received a slew of reminders from our Chapter Advisor “pestering us” (his words) to submit to the Sigma Tau Delta Journals. As I sat there in my dorm building, outside the bustle of the dining hall and three days before the deadline, I decided that I might as well.

I’m not going to lie, I was proud of the essay I submitted. Historically, essays have been difficult undertakings for me. I’ve often felt like my ideas become faulty the minute they are put into words. On the page, cracks in logic become apparent; every weakness is put on display. Usually (as a chronic procrastinator), I’m also staring down the barrel of an impending due date. But my essay “A Different Kind of Magic: Derrida’s Differance and Silver-working in R. F. Kuang’s Babel” was, well, different. It was the first time I had maintained a sense of conviction throughout the writing process; I believed in my idea. (It only took me until junior year of college.) So, I submitted it to the Sigma Tau Delta Review.

When summer came, I found myself in Michigan of all places, working at an outdoor camp. It was hot and hectic, and weekends were the only times I had to get on my computer. I was surprised when, in July, I had an email from SigmaTDjournals. I hadn’t been expecting to hear anything until late August. To be completely honest, I hadn’t been expecting to hear anything at all, so I hadn’t really given it much thought.

It took a minute to sink in. I kept rereading the words just to be sure: “congratulations,” “selected to publish.” I was going to be a published writer.

By the time school started, the initial novelty wore off. I was still excited, of course, but I was starting senior year and moving into a new place. The fact that the works selected for publication were also considered for awards, wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. So, I was again surprised when I got the email announcing that “A Different Kind of Magic” was the recipient of the 2026 Frederic Fadner Critical Essay Award. I couldn’t believe it. I told all my friends and family.

I feel incredibly proud to be a part of Sigma Tau Delta’s Pi Delta Chapter. I’m thankful for our Advisor, who pushes us all to submit our work, our board, who work hard to support and advance our chapter, and all the members, who have made our chapter a community. I’m also beyond thankful and honored to have received this award, something I could have never foreseen all those months ago as I sat in my dorm building. So, if you’re thinking about pursuing any one of the wonderful opportunities Sigma Tau Delta offers, you might as well. Who knows what might happen?

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Journal Submissions

Annually, Sigma Tau Delta publishes two journals to distribute the best writing and criticism produced by active members of the Society.

Undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled through the spring 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.

Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle (founded in 1931) is an annual journal of creative writing—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Submissions should not exceed 2,500 words. Members whose works are published also may participate in a reading at the annual Sigma Tau Delta convention.

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

Claim your copies of the 2026 Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle and Sigma Tau Delta Review to read samples of the quality of work habitually accepted for publication.

Submission Guidelines

Learn more about guidelines for submissions including eligibility, formatting, and acceptance notification.

View: Submission Guidelines

Submission Instructions

Find out what application materials you must have prepared when you begin the submission process.

View: Submission Instructions

Submission FAQs

Learn tips about successful journal submissions as well as specifics for each journal and information about the publication in general.

View: Submission FAQs

Publication Archive

View: Current and Past Publications

Publication and Awards

These two journals are refereed, with faculty reviewers from around the world selecting works 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.

The Sigma Tau Delta journals are catalogued with the Library of Congress.

The best writings in each category are acknowledged with five awards (each $500):

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

Award Winners

View: Past Award Winners

How to Apply & Deadlines

Submissions for the Sigma Tau Delta journals are accepted through AwardSpring during the Spring Awards Cycle, which is open March 16 – April 13, 2026, 4 p.m. CT.

Past Journal Submission Blogs

Check out blog posts submitted by former Sigma Tau Delta student members who have been published in the Sigma Tau Delta journals to gain inspiration for your journal submission.

View: Past Journal Submission Blogs

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More from Footnotes: March 24, 2026

2026 Convention Program
Spring Awards Cycle
Graduation Regalia & Spring Merchandise Sale
Lambda Iota Tau (LIT) Research Grants