Author Awards
UTEP Press is now accepting submissions for the 2028 UTEP Discovery Fellowship Award. This award is given for a book that best fulfills UTEP’s mission to disseminate positive discovery and research that impacts our community and the world. The recipient will receive a $5,000 award.
This one-time payment will give UTEP Press non-exclusive rights to publish the book for a set time period and/or number of copies and replaces traditional royalties.
To be considered for the award, authors should submit a book proposal that includes:
- a summary (300-500 words) of the book idea, target audience, proposed length and projected manuscript completion date
- a summary of each chapter (50 words each)
Submitting sample chapters with the proposal is encouraged but not required. Send submissions to press@utep.edu by April 1, 2026 for priority consideration.
Anyone may submit a book proposal, but UTEP Press will give preference to submissions from UTEP faculty, staff, alumni and students. Send questions to press@utep.edu.
2026 AWARD RECIPIENT
UTEP Discovery Fellowship Award
Waymond Rodgers, Ph.D., UTEP professor of accounting and information systems
“Quantum Pathways: Harnessing AI and Decision Science for Entrepreneurial Discovery”
This book looks at how artificial intelligence and new models inspired by quantum computing are revolutionizing our understanding of creativity, risk and action in entrepreneurial decision-making. It presents the Throughput Model – a quantum-inspired framework that explains and improves how founders make high-stakes decisions.
Rodgers will be awarded $10,000, and his book is scheduled for publication in fall 2026.
2027 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Texas Western Fellowship Award
Anne M. Giangiulio, UTEP associate professor of art
“Rotulistas: Sign Painters of El Paso”
This book captures 75 years of visual culture distinct to the El Paso borderland – the artistry of the rotulistas, or sign painters. It delves into the history of the unique hand-drawn business signage of the area, starting with the arrival of the railroad in El Paso in 1881, to the rotulista “glory days” of the 1950s to early 1980s, and the new generation that assigns high value to a handmade aesthetic. It will feature stories gleaned from interviews with local practitioners of hand-drawn signage, and information on tools and techniques of the trade.
Giangiulio will be awarded $5,000, and her book is scheduled for publication in summer 2027.
UTEP Discovery Fellowship Award
Zahid Rafiq, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in UTEP’s School of Pharmacy
“Closing the Cancer Care Gap: Research and Hope in the Borderlands”
This book translates the science of modern cancer research into an accessible, hopeful narrative of how discovery is turning the tide against one of humanity’s most feared diseases. It draws from cutting-edge discoveries in immunotherapy, precision medicine and prevention, and the lived experiences of patients and researchers in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands – a region affected by disparities in cancer outcomes.
Rafiq will be awarded $5,000, and his book is scheduled for publication in summer 2027.