Publication schedule updated; Next round of book award submissions now open

EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2026) – UTEP Press at The University of Texas at El Paso announced today the winners of its first round of book awards since relaunching the press in fall 2025. UTEP Press, which publishes a wide variety of popular and academic books, announced winners in two categories for its inaugural 2026 awards, as well as its 2027 book awards.

UTEP Press at The University of Texas at El Paso announced today the winners of its first round of book awards since relaunching the press in fall 2025.

UTEP Press at The University of Texas at El Paso announced today the winners of its first round of book awards since relaunching the press in fall 2025.

The press now welcomes book proposal submissions for the next round of awards for publication in 2028.

“The publishing process from proposal to manuscript to printing is lengthy, but these four award-wining books coming out in the next two years will be worth the wait,” said Lucas Roebuck, UTEP Press publisher and the University’s vice president for marketing and communications. “The forthcoming books showcase the breadth of expertise of UTEP faculty – topics include the history of runaways in the borderlands, the unique hand-painted sign culture of El Paso, understanding AI and quantum computing effects on entrepreneurship, and cancer treatment breakthroughs.”

Because of the number of quality proposals submitted for the inaugural book awards and the lead time to bring these new titles to press, the UTEP Press review committee decided to award both 2026 and 2027 book awards from the pool of 2026 submissions.

Texas Western Fellowship Award

This award is given for a new, fresh book that captures the Southwest/borderlands experience in honor of the legacy titles from the original Texas Western Press and its Southwestern Studies series.

For 2026, the Texas Western Fellowship Award winner is Christina Villarreal, Ph.D., former assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of History, for “Fugitives of Empire: Apostates, Deserters, and Runaways in the Texas-Louisiana Borderlands, 1714-1803.” This book is a pioneering history of the Spanish borderlands from the perspectives of Native Americans, soldiers and enslaved Africans in the Gulf Coast who fled forced missionization, conscription or enslavement in coastal colonies, and traces their movements to new places of refuge.

Villarreal will be awarded $10,000, and her book is scheduled for publication in spring 2027.

For 2027, the Texas Western Fellowship Award recipient is Anne M. Giangiulio, UTEP associate professor of art, for “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

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.

For 2026, the UTEP Discovery Fellowship Award winner is Waymond Rodgers, Ph.D., professor of accounting and information systems at UTEP, for “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.

For 2027, the UTEP Discovery Fellowship Award winner is Zahid Rafiq, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in UTEP’s School of Pharmacy, for “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.

Updated 2026 Book Release Schedule

UTEP Press plans to release seven additional books during the remainder of the 2025-26 academic year, all legacy titles from the original Texas Western Press. All books will be available in print on demand and in ebook format. Select books from the historic Texas Western Press Southwestern Studies series will also be available to download for free.

 




Release Date



Author



Title





February 2026



Bradford Luckingham



Epidemic in the Southwest: 1918-1919





March 2026



Nancy Hamilton



Ben Dowell: El Paso’s First Mayor





April 2026



Alfonso Toro



The Carvajal Family: The Jews and the Inquisition in New Spain in the Sixteenth Century





May 2026



Jeanne Bozzell McCarty



The Struggle for Sobriety: Protestants and Prohibition in Texas:1919-1935





June 2026



Elroy Bode



Home Country: An Elroy Bode Reader





July 2026



Dennis E. Berge



The Mexican Republic: 1847





August 2026



Lawrence R. Murphy



Anti-Slavery in the Southwest: William G. Kephardt’s Mission to New Mexico: 1850-53




 

Submit Book Proposals for 2028 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 author will receive a $5,000 award.

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, as well as 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. Learn more at utep.edu/press.

Last Updated on February 03, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published February 03, 2026

By MC Staff
UTEP Marketing and Communications