In 1994, the Academy was selected by the New Hope Foundation to administer the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. Established in 1975, this $25,000 award recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in the previous year. Past recipients include Philip Levine, Sterling A. Brown, Adrienne Rich, Thom Gunn, W. S. Merwin, Marilyn Hacker, and Charles Wright. Submissions are accepted each year from April 1 to June 15.

The Judges for 2008 are Lucie Brock-Broido, B. H. Fairchild, and John Koethe.

The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize honors the memory of Lenore Marshall (1897-1971), a poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist. She was the author of three novels, three books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and selections from her notebooks. Her work appeared in such distinguished literary magazines as The New Yorker, The Saturday Review, and Partisan Review. In 1956 she helped found the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, the citizens organization that lobbied successfully for passage of the 1963 partial nuclear test ban treaty.

Download an entry form.

Please Note: Books must be submitted in the year after their publication.

• The 2008 contest is open to any book of original poetry, in English, published in the United States during 2007 in a standard edition by a living American citizen. A standard edition is 40 pages or more in length and 500 or more copies.
• Self-published books are not eligible.
• Publishers may submit as many titles as they wish. The publisher should send four copies of each book to the Academy, postmarked between April 1 and June 15, 2008.
• A $25 entry fee and entry form are required for each title submitted.
• Finalists will be notified and announced to the press in fall 2008. The winner will be announced in November.
• The Academy of American Poets will award the winning poet $25,000.

Please send four copies of each entry to:

The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize
The Academy of American Poets
584 Broadway, Suite 604
New York, NY 10012.

Books will not be returned.

For more information, please contact:

Awards Coordinator
awards@poets.org
TEL (212) 274-0343

Download an entry form.