second book awards

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Northwestern University Press is given biennially for a second book of poetry by a Black poet of African descent. Parneshia Jones and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon will judge. Submit two copies of a manuscript of 50 to 75 pages with a $20 entry fee by April 17. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a living poet to be published in the coming calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid weeklong residency at the Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Copies of the winning book are purchased and distributed to members of the Academy of American Poets. Rick Barot, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, and Honorée Jeffers will judge. U.S. publishers may submit four copies of a manuscript of at least 48 pages that has come under contract and will be published in 2021 by May 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Elixir Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Sarah Kennedy will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $30 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $5,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to give a reading at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is given annually for a first or second book of poetry published during the previous year. Students and faculty of the MFA program in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University will judge. Publishers or writers may submit three copies of a book of at least 48 pages published in 2019, and a brief author bio, by February 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $3,000 and publication by the Waywiser Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous collection. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles in fall 2020. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 88 pages with a $27 entry fee by December 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Perugia Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection by a woman. Submit a manuscript of 45 to 85 pages with a $27 entry fee by November 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.