book awards

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Tupelo Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Submit a manuscript of 20 to 36 pages with a $25 entry fee by February 28. All entries will be considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,500, publication by Ahsahta Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Current and former students of Boise State University are ineligible. Brian Teare will judge. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 100 pages with a $25 entry fee by March 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,200, publication by Main Street Rag, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors and previous winners will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 84 pages with a $25 entry fee ($27 for electronic submissions) by February 2. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry published in the previous year. The winning poet is expected to participate in an awards ceremony and give a reading at the Poetry Center in Paterson, New Jersey. Books of at least 48 pages are eligible. Publishers may submit two copies of books published in 2018 by February 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Five prizes of $10,000 each and publication by participating trade, university, or small press publishers are given annually for poetry collections. Publishers include Beacon Press, Ecco, Milkweed Editions, Penguin Books, and University of Georgia Press. Using the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 64 pages with a $30 entry fee between January 1 and February 28. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction. Each winner will also receive a two-week residency at the Blackacre State Nature Preserve and Historic Homestead in Louisville, Kentucky. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, submit a poetry collection of at least 48 pages with a $29 entry fee by February 15. For the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, submit a collection of stories or novellas or a short novel of 150 to 250 pages with a $29 entry fee by February 15. Sarah Gorham and Jeffrey Skinner will judge both prizes. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $4,000 and publication by Southern Indiana Review Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Waters will judge. Submit up to 80 pages of poetry (no more than one poem per page) with a $35 entry fee by February 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Two prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction published in the previous year. Each winner will also receive $500 to give a reading at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Authors or publishers may submit a poetry collection or a novel, novella, or short story collection published in 2018 along with a brief author bio, including publication history, and a $30 entry fee by February 2. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Two prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry and fiction published during the previous year. The Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award is given for a poetry collection of at least 48 pages. The John Gardner Fiction Book Award is given for a novel or a short story collection. Publishers or authors may submit two copies of books published in 2018 by February 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.