The Academy of American Poets Prize

 

 

Funded by Dr. Thomas Werge, Hope class of ’63, and Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, to encourage excellent student writing and secure permanent membership for Hope College in the University and College Poetry Prize program of The Academy of American Poets.

 

The Academy of American Poets Award is a national poetry award for college students.  In 1955, The Academy of American Poets established its University and College Poetry Prize program at ten schools. The Academy now sponsors nearly 180 annual prizes for poetry at colleges and universities nationwide, and has awarded more than $350,000 to nearly 10,000 student poets since the program's inception.  The 2001-2002 academic year was the inaugural year for the award at Hope College.

 

Many of America's most esteemed poets won their first recognition through an Academy College Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Alice Fulton, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Allen Grossman, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Brad Leithauser, J. D. McClatchy, Heather McHugh, Gregory Orr, Robert Pinsky, Sylvia Plath, Mark Rudman, Mary Jo Salter, Gjertrud Schnackenberg, George Starbuck, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

 

This is a college-wide award, and an open competition; submissions are open to any student registered for classes at Hope College full-time, from any major or discipline, about any topic, and in any poetic form.  There is no entrance fee.  All submissions must be anonymous.  Please read the following carefully.

 

·        Please submit eight (8) copies of no more than five (5) poems OR no more than seven (7) pages of poetry.  Your name, in part or in full must not appear on any of the manuscript pages or in any of the poems.  If your name appears on any of the manuscript pages or in any of the poems, your manuscript must be automatically disqualified.  Please collate and paperclip each of the eight manuscripts.

 

·        Include one coversheet with the titles of the poems and your contact information (name, mailing address, email address, and phone number(s)).

 

·        Deadline for 2006 is February 3.  Late submissions will be returned.  Participants will be notified no later than mid-April

 

The manuscripts are separated from the coversheet by the English Department Office Manager, and the poems remain anonymous for the duration of the judging process; the poems are first distributed to a panel of faculty who select five finalist manuscripts.  The finalist status of a manuscript is confidential.  Finalist manuscripts are sent to an outside judge, who will select one winning manuscript, and one honorable mention.  The winning poet is awarded a cash prize of $100, acknowledgement in the Academy’s newsletter and area presses, and the winning poems are forwarded to the Academy of American Poets for publication consideration in their national anthology.  Poems can be previously published.

 

Please address questions and submissions to:  Jack Ridl, Coordinator, Academy of American Poets Award, Hope College English Department, PO Box 9000, Holland, MI 49422-9000.