Award recipients are chosen by a selection committee comprised of representatives from the Governor's Office, the Utah Arts Council and arts professionals from throughout the State. The Individual Artist's Services Program is specifically designed to help meet the needs of individual artists in all disciplines. The first workday of October, February, June. IAS provides a grant writing workshop several weeks prior to each deadline. Individual help is also available.
Any writer residing in Utah is eligible to enter the competition.
There is no entry fee. Manuscripts are not returnable. A limited publication prize is awarded each year to the previous year's winner in the novel category. The Utah Poet Laureate is David Lee, literature professor at Southern Utah State University and award-winning poet. Any nonprofit group can contact the Literature Program to request a reading.