Here's a writing prize that, according to the instructions, you have some control over. You, the reader, can nominate a nonfiction piece published in 2009 that you feel best delineates the writing life or the writing-teacher life. As far as I can tell, you are free to nominate a stand-alone essay or an excerpt from a book: the only caveat is that it needs to have been published in 09.

Here are the specs as I received them from the coordinator. (Do not ask me to explain why the line breaks insist on being permanently weird.)

THE 2009 DONALD MURRAY PRIZE

The Special Interest Group on Creative Nonfiction (a subsidiary
group of the National Council of Teachers of English’s Conference
on College Composition and Communication) solicits nominations for
the 2009 DONALD MURRAY PRIZE. This prize will go to the author of
the best essay/work of creative nonfiction on the subjects of
teaching and/or writing published in the year.

The Donald Murray Prize is generously sponsored by Wadsworth, a
part of Cengage Learning, who will provide an honorarium of
$500.00 to the winner. The judge of this year’s contest will be
Mike Steinberg.

Authors, editors, and readers are asked to nominate
essays/creative nonfiction on writing and/or teaching that were
published between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Send two
copies of each work to The Donald Murray Prize, University Writing
Program, One Shields Avenue, UC Davis, Davis CA 95616. Also
provide publication information, including the date of publication.

The deadline for submissions to arrive is January 15, 2010. The
winner will be announced in March 2010, at the CCCC convention in
Louisville.

Now, off into the 2-degree morning to feed animals and haul firewood; and then to roust the boys into Christmas-present-making frenzy. Time to whip up those gifts for Grandma. . . .