The Luminous Life: Our Twentieth Annual Look at Debut Poets
Ten debut poets who published in 2024 generously share the inspiration, advice, and writers block remedies that have sustained them through their literary journeys.
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Genre: Poetry
The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises
Write a poem about the pains and pleasures of cold weather, a short story that brings together an unexpected series of events, or an essay that contemplates companionship.
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Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry
Arrowsmith Press
Entry Fee:
$20
Deadline:
February 15, 2025
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer who is not a citizen of the United States published in English during the previous year. Authors or publishers may submit two copies of one or more books published in 2024 with a $20 entry fee by February 15. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award
Arts Literature Laboratory
Entry Fee:
$30
Deadline:
January 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer who is a resident of Wisconsin (or who has previously resided in Wisconsin for at least five years) published in the previous year. The winner will also receive a five-day stay at Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Submit a copy of a book of at least 48 pages published in 2024 with a $30 entry fee ($20 for Arts + Literature Laboratory members) by January 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Raiziss/de Palchi Book Prize
Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
February 15, 2025
A prize of $10,000 is given biennially for the translation into English of a work of modern, standard (non-dialect) Italian poetry. Books by living translators are eligible. Anna Kraczyna, Jennifer Scappettone, and Charif Shanahan will judge. Using only the online submission system, publishers may submit any number of books published in any year by February 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Book Prize
Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
February 15, 2025
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection (or a work that intersects with poetry, including hybrid text, speculative prose, and/or translation) by a writer of African descent. Cameron Awkward-Rich will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit 48 to 168 pages of poetry or poetry-adjacent work by February 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Morse Code Poetry Contest
High Frequency Press
Entry Fee:
$35
Deadline:
February 3, 2025
A prize of $1,500, publication by High Frequency Press, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also have 15 poems published for digital download through the press’s website. Shanna McNair and Scott Wolven will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of up to 90 pages with a $35 entry fee by February 3. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Prize for Poetry and Medicine
Hippocrates Prize
Entry Fee:
$8
Deadline:
February 14, 2025
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,271) and publication in the Hippocrates Prize anthology is given annually for a single poem on a medical theme. A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,271) and publication in the Hippocrates Prize anthology and on the website is also given for a single poem on a medical theme written by a health professional. Submit a poem of up to 50 lines with a £6 entry fee (approximately $8) by February 14. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Creative Writing Fellowships
National Endowment for the Arts
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
March 12, 2025
Approximately 35 grants of $25,000 each are given annually in alternating years to poets and prose writers to “enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.” This year fellowships will be given in fiction and creative nonfiction. Writers who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and who have published at least five short stories, essays, or novel or memoir excerpts in two or more literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or other publications that regularly feature literature; a novel or novella; a short story collection or volume of short fiction; or a volume of creative nonfiction between January 1, 2015, and March 12, 2025, are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of 20 to 25 pages of prose, a brief project description, and a list of publications by March 12. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
What’s Left Out: The Poems That Haunt a Collection From the Outside
Every poetry collection has its “maybes” and “almosts,” the poems that didn’t make it to publication. A debut poet considers the poems that haunt a book from the outside.
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