This annual award in the amount of $10,000 is designed to encourage and foster literary activity that combines serious play, imagination, erudition and innovative practice.
Tom La Farge was a stylist who passionately rejected exclusivist dualities: adult/child, human/animal, male/female. His work fuses wit, fabulism, learning, compassion and radical play in a way that eludes the dominant literary conventions of both mainstream and avant-garde. Because this award aims to foster literary work in his spirit, applicants will be expected to familiarize themselves with his legacy. Proposals will be considered by a committee selected by Wendy Walker from among Tom's students, fellow writers and friends.
Application Guidelines:
The award may be sought for a project or body of work in writing, publishing, education or any combination of the three. Applicants may not be enrolled in any degree-granting institution. Your application and all materials submitted in support of it must be entirely your own work, unaided by any agent, human or artificial. Applications must be made in English and should include:
1) a description of the project for which the money will be used (6500 characters / approximately 4 pages max.);
2) a statement of how the proposal engages with Tom's work and the values espoused therein (3400 characters / approximately 2 pages max.);
3) a 2-page sample, preferably from the work or project for which you are seeking support, but if that work is not yet written, then from whatever you consider to be your best work that is relevant to the award. For written work or projects, copy and paste into the text box. If formatting or multimedia are crucial for your submission, use the "Supporting Materials" section below to attach up to three files, not to exceed 6 MB total;
4) an introduction to the applicant’s self and work (3400 characters / approximately 2 pages max.).
During the reading period, applicants may be contacted for additional materials and an interview by the committee.
The submission window for the 2027 award is currently open. You can apply here through January 30, 2027.
Committee Members:
WENDY WALKER, Chairperson, author, artist, teacher, editor
PAUL LA FARGE (1970—2023), Advisor, novelist, teacher
Corina Bardoff, writer, librarian
Sam Goodman, writer, teacher
Michael Kowalski, composer, critic
Daniel Levin Becker, author, translator, editor
Eliza Grace Martin, writer
Philip Ording, mathematician, author, teacher