Prizes Sponsored by Poets & Writers

The Jackson Poetry Prize

The Jackson Poetry Prize, established in 2006, honors an American poet of exceptional talent who deserves wider recognition. Eligible poets must have published at least two books of acknowledged literary merit. The $50,000 prize is designed to provide what all poets need—time and the encouragement to write. There is no application process for the Jackson Poetry Prize—nominees are identified by a group of poets selected by Poets & Writers who remain anonymous; final selection is made by a panel of esteemed poets.

The Jackson Poetry Prize is made possible by a significant gift from the Liana Foundation.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award

Initiated in 1984, the Writers Exchange Award provides two emerging writers with an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City where P&W arranges meetings with agents, editors, and prominent authors. The winners' visit culminates in a public reading in Manhattan.

Each year, two writers from one state are invited to submit manuscripts to Poets & Writers. To date, 76 writers from 30 states have received the Writers Exchange Award. Many of the winners have gone on to get their books published, receive other awards, and secure teaching positions. In 2007, a special grant enabled P&W to offer the Writers Exchange to two writers from California. Two writers from Missouri also received the Writers Exchange Award this year.

View a list of past winners.

California Writers Exchange Award

Poets & Writers runs the California Writers Exchange contest every three years. A poet and a fiction writer are selected based on manuscripts submitted to Poets & Writers and flown to NYC for an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to meet with literary agents, editors, publishers, and writers. The California Writers Exchange is funded by a generous grant from the James Irvine Foundation.

Poets & Writers is now accepting submissions for the 2010 California Writers Exchange Award. View the application here.

View a list of past winners.

The Amy Award

The Amy Award is presented to women poets age 30 and under living in the New York City metropolitan area or on Long Island. Winners receive an honorarium and a reading in New York City. The award was established by Paula Trachtman and Edward Butscher of East Hampton, New York, in memory of Ms. Trachtman's daughter, Amy Rothholz, an actor and poet. Contestants are required to submit three lyric poems of up to 50 lines each, a brief biography, and a SASE. The deadline for submission to the annual contest is June 1. Winners are announced by September 1 of each year.

View a list of past winnners.

Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award

Established in 1996, the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, which is presented at P&W's annual dinner, recognizes authors who have given generously to other writers or to the broader literary community. Honorees are nominated by a committee composed of past winners, other prominent writers, and the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers. Title of the award has been given to Barnes & Noble in appreciation of their extraordinary support of Poets & Writers.

View a list of past winners

The Editor's Award

Established in 2009, Poets & Writers' Editor's Award, which is presented at P&W's annual dinner, recognizes a book editor who has made an outstanding contribution to the publication of poetry or literary prose over a sustained period of time. Honorees are nominated by a committee composed of past winners, other prominent writers and editors, and the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers.

View a list of past winners