Genre: Poetry

Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also receive a scholarship to attend and present a reading at the Red Clay Writers Conference, held in March 2026 at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia. Black writers who have been residents of Georgia for at least one year (or who are full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award) and who have published no more than one book are eligible to apply. Submit a poetry or prose writing sample of up to 10 pages and an artist’s statement of no more than 500 words discussing your work and goals as a writer by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Yale University Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has not published a full-length book of poetry and who resides in the United States. The winner also receives a writing fellowship at the James Merrill House in Stonington, Connecticut. Monica Youn will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 90 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and an invitation to read at the University of California in Santa Cruz in November will be given annually for a poem. Nancy Miller Gomez will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to two pages with an $18 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a group of poems by an African poet who has not published a full-length collection. Writers who were born in Africa, who are nationals or residents of an African country, or whose parents are African are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit 10 published or unpublished poems of up to 40 lines each by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.