Book Contests – Fall & Winter
Updated: As C. Dale Young kindly pointed out, with all the changes at the Paris Review, it might be best to skip the Paris Review / Zoo Press contest this year.
As my manuscript nears completion (hopefully), I’m on the look out for someplace to publish. As a Canadian, I’m excluded from certain first book contests, so I’ve decided to build a list of contests that are willing to look at work from a non-US citizen who currently resides in the US (eg. Canadian graduate student studying at an American university).
Note: When I’ve marked a judge as TBA, it usually means that the judge is well-known but will not be disclosed until after the judging is completed. Unknown refers to an unspecified judge (could be an editorial board or the publisher)
Here’s my list — hopefully it’s useful for someone else out there:
FIRST BOOKS
Sep 15
Northeastern University — Samuel Morse Poetry Prize
50-70 pages, $15 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Northeastern University Press
Judge: TBA
http://www.casdn.neu.edu/~english/publications/morse/Sep 30
University of Massachusetts Press — Juniper Prize
50-70 pages, $20 fee
$1500 prize + publication by University of Massachusetts Press+reading
Judge: Unknown
http://www.umass.edu/umpress/juniper.htmlSep 30
Ohio State University Press — Journal Award
48+ pages, $25 fee (buys one year subscription to the Journal)
$3000 prize + publication by Ohio State University Press
Judge: Unknown
http://www.ohiostatepress.org/Sep 30
Pleiades Press — Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series Award
48+ pages, $15 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Pleiades Press (LSU Press)
Judge: Linda Bierds
http://www.cmsu.edu/englphil/pleiades/poetryseries.htmlSep 30
University of Wisconsin Press — Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes
50-80 pages, $25 fee
$1000 prize + publication by University of Wisconsin Press
Judge: Unknown
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/poetryguide.htmlSep 30
Utah State University Press — May Swenson Poetry Award
50-100 pages, $25 fee (a No Winner decision is possible)
$1000 prize + publication by Utah State University Press
Judge: Edward Field
http://www.usu.edu/usupress/poetcomp.htmOct 15
Silverfish Review Press — Gerald Cable Book Award
48+ pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Silverfish Review Press, 100 copies
Judge: Unknown
http://www.silverfishreviewpress.com/award.htmOct 31
Elixir Press — Poetry Awards
48+ pages, $25 fee
$2000 prize + publication by Elixir Press
Judge: TBA (editor judges 2nd prize)
http://www.elixirpress.comOct 31
Red Hen Press — Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award
48-96 pages, $20 fee
$3000 prize + publication by Red Hen Press
Judge: Alicia Ostriker and James Ragan
http://www.redhen.orgOct 31
Story Line Press — Frederick Morgan Poetry Prize
48+ pages, $25 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Story Line Press
Judge: Unknown
http://www.storylinepress.com/projects/roerich.htmOct 31
Truman State University Press — T.S. Eliot Prize
60-100 pages, $25 fee
$2000 prize + publication by Truman State University Press
Judge: TBA
https://tsup.truman.edu/TSEliotPrize/guidelines.aspxOct 31
Zoo Press — Paris Review Prize (does this still exist?)
**With all the changes at Paris Review, you might want to skip this contest until things are stable**Oct 31
Ohio University Press — Hollis Summers Poetry Contest
60-95 pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Ohio University Press
Judge: TBA
http://www.ohiou.edu/oupress/poetryprize.htmSep 1 – Oct 31
Fordham University — Poets Out Loud Prize
50-80 pages, $25 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Fordham University Press
Judge: Alberto Rios
http://poetsoutloud.com/prize.htmlNov 8
Winnow Press — First Book Award in Poetry
50-100 pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Winnow Press + 50 copies + 100 postcards + 100 bookmarks
Judge: Kathleen Peirce
http://www.winnowpress.com/firstpoetry.htmlOct 1 – Nov 15
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference — Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes
50+ pages, $10 fee
Publication by Houghton Mifflin + fellowship to attend Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference
Judge: Mark Doty
http://bakelessprize.orgNov 15
University of North Texas Press — Vassar Miller Prize
50-80 pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by University of North Texas Press
Judge: TBA
http://web2.unt.edu/untpress/potential_authors.cfm#subvassarNov 15
Many Mountains Moving — Poetry Book Contest
50-100 pages, $25 fee (buys 2 issues of th e journal)
$750 prize + publication by Many Mountains Moving
Judge: TBA
http://www.mmminc.org/new_web_contests.htmOct 1 – Nov 16
Crab Orchard Series in Poetry — Open Award Competition
50-80 pages, $25 fee
$3500 prize + publication by Southern Illinois University Press
Judge: Leslie Adrienne Miller?
http://www.siu.edu/~crborchd/conpo.htmlNov 30
BOA Editions, Ltd. — A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize
48-100 pages, $22 fee
$1500 prize + publication by BOA Editions, Ltd.
Judge: Elizabeth Spires
http://www.boaeditions.org/submissions/A_Poulin_Prize.htmlNov 30
Bright Hill Press — Poetry Book Competition
48-65 pages, $20 fee
$1000 + publication by Bright Hill Press + 25 copies
Judge: Unknown
http://www.brighthillpress.org/pages/7/index.htmNov 1- Nov 30
Copper Canyon Press — Hayden Carruth Award
46-150 pages, $25 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Copper Canyon Press
Judge: Publisher
http://www.coppercanyonpress.org/400_opportunities/430_gettingpub/guidelines.cfmNov 30
New Issues — Poetry Prize
48+ pages, $15 fee
$2000 + publication by New Issues Press (Western Michigan University)
Judge: Barbara Hamby
http://www.wmich.edu/newissues/NewIssuesPoetryPrize.htmlNov 30
White Pine Press — Poetry Prize
60-80 pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by White Pine Press
Judge: TBA
http://www.whitepine.org/compt.htmDec 1
Tupelo Press — Dorset Prize
48-80 pages, $25 fee
$10,000 prize + publication by Tupelo Press (Consortium distribution)
Judge: Linda Gregerson
http://www.tupelopress.orgDec 1
Alice James Books — Beatrice Hawley Award
50-70 pages, $25 fee
$2000 prize + publication by Alice James Books
Judge: Editorial board
http://www.alicejamesbooks.org//BH.htmlDec 15
Gival Press — Annual Gival Press Poetry Award
45+ pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + publication by Gival Press + 20 copies
Judge: Paula Goldman (last year’s winner)
http://www.givalpress.com/Dec 31
Tampa Review — Tampa Review Prize for Poetry
48-100 pages, $20 fee
$1000 prize + hard back publication by University of Tampa Press + selected poems featured in Tampa Review
Judge: Unknown
http://tampareview.ut.edu/tr_prize.htmlJan 15
Del Sol Press — Annual Del Sol Poetry Prize
50-100 pages, $22 fee
$1200 + publication by Del Sol Press + 20 copies
Judge: Mary Jo Bang
http://webdelsol.com/DelSolPress/dsp-poetry-competition.htmJan 16
BkMk Press — John Ciardi Prize for Poetry
50-110 pages, $25 fee
$1000 + publication by BkMk Press (University of Missouri – Kansas City)
Judge: TBA
http://web1.umkc.edu/bkmk/poetry.htmlOct 1 – Jan 17
Colorado Review — Colorado Prize for Poetry
40-100 pages, $25 fee
$1500 prize + publication by the Center for Literary Publication (Colorado State University)
Judge: Lyn Hejinian
http://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/CPP/sub.html
September 6th, 2005 at 9:23 pm
good luck this mansucript submission season, neil. do not forget the academy of american poets whitman award. i say go for it! all best, bjr
September 6th, 2005 at 10:53 pm
As much as I would love to submit to the Walt Whitman Award, sadly they have a US citizenship requirement which I can’t meet (being Canadian just isn’t close enough) 🙁
That said, here are the other book contests which US citizens should look into as well:
Oct 31
American Poetry Review — Honickman First Book Prize
48+ pages, $25 fee
$3000 prize + publication by American Poetry Review (Copper Canyon Press)
Judge: Robert Pinsky
http://aprweb.org
Nov 15
Academy of American Poets — Walt Whitman Award
50-100 pages, $25 fee
$5000 prize + publication by Louisana State University Press
Judge: TBA
http://www.poets.org/awards
September 16th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Many thanks for this comprehensive list. I have often wondered why a number of these contests require that a participant be an American citizen. Smacks of American chauvinism to me. It shouldn’t be tolerated! You could have lived, worked, paid taxes in the US most of your life but they won’t take your $25 because you have a green card! Perhaps the folks at Foetry ought to stir up some trouble about this as well.
Do you know the work of George Elliott Clarke? His “Beatrice Chancy” is a masterpiece. I think he is largely unknown in these parts (US) because he’s Canadian. More American chauvinism.
Good luck with your manuscript and thanks for your generous spirit.
September 17th, 2005 at 12:23 pm
I wouldn’t enter the Paris Review prize if I were you. For one, Richard Howard is no longer the poetry editor of the Paris Review, and it is unknown if PR has maintained the link to Zoo to sponsor the prize. Secondly, it is questionable whether or not Zoo still exists in the meaningful way it did a couple of years ago.