NOTE: Contestants may either print and use the electronic version provided here or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Academy to receive the paper version. Entries will be accepted only if postmarked between September 15 and November 30, 2007. All manuscripts must be accompanied by a signed entry form and $25 fee. The judge for the 2008 award will be Linda Bierds.

The Deadline for the 2008 Walt Whitman Award has been extended to November 30

• The Walt Whitman Award is given to honor a poet's first book. Contestants must be living citizens of the United States who have neither published, nor committed to publish, a volume of poetry 40 pages or more in length and in an edition of 500 or more copies, either in the U.S. or abroad. Books on a smaller scale, such as chapbooks and limited editions, will not disqualify a poet.

• Manuscripts must be of original poetry, in English, by one poet. There are no restrictions on the style of poetry or subject matter. Translations are not eligible.

• Contestants should send only one copy of each manuscript. Manuscripts must be between 50 and 100 pages, typed single- or double-spaced. Multiple poems may not appear on a single page. Illustrations are not accepted. Contestants who have published poems in magazines may include those in the manuscript submitted, along with a page of acknowledgments.

• Two title pages must be submitted with each manuscript. One title page should include the author's name and address; the other should bear the manuscript title alone. The author's name must not appear on any other page of the manuscript. Each manuscript should be fastened with a binder clip. Staples, report covers, and other bindings should not be used.

• Each manuscript must be accompanied by a completed entry form and a submission fee of $25.00. Please make check or money order payable to "The Academy of American Poets (WW)." Do not send cash. Contestants who submit more than one manuscript must include an entry form and submission fee with each.

• Contestants may submit manuscripts elsewhere simultaneously, but must notify the Academy immediately if a manuscript becomes committed to another press. A manuscript committed to another press is not eligible for the Walt Whitman Award.

• Manuscripts must be postmarked between September 15 and November 30, 2007. Neither late nor early manuscripts will be accepted. Contestants are strongly advised to retain copies of their work as manuscripts will not be returned. The Academy assumes no responsibility for the loss of manuscripts.

• Notification of contest results will be made by email. Contestants who wish to receive notification by mail must include a self-addressed, stamped, business-sized envelope. Contestants who wish the Academy to acknowledge receipt of their manuscripts should enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard.

• The Academy expects the judge's decision by May 2008. Louisiana State University Press will publish the winning manuscript in a paperback edition within one year of the judge's decision.

• The winner will receive $5,000 and a one-month residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

• The Academy of American Poets will purchase from the publisher copies of the winning book for distribution to its members. No royalties will be paid to the author on the copies distributed by the Academy. The standard contract of the publisher will govern production, distribution, and royalties for all other copies.

• The Academy of American Poets cannot consider manuscript revisions during the course of the contest. The winning poet will have an opportunity to revise before publication.

• All correspondence concerning the contest should be addressed to the Academy. Any correspondence addressed to the judge will be forwarded to the Academy unread.

• Poets are not eligible to apply if they are close friends or colleagues, were mentored by the judge, or have studied with the judge in full-time accredited courses within the last 5 years.

• The decisions of The Academy of American Poets as to eligibility are final. The Academy reserves the right to withhold the Walt Whitman Award in any given year.

The undersigned hereby submits and enters the attached manuscript of original poetry in the contest for the Walt Whitman Award, acknowledges reading the guidelines, and agrees to abide by them.

Please type all information or print legibly

Submission Checklist

Required:

O Manuscript: one copy with two title pages (see guidelines).
O Entry form: completed and signed.
O $25.00 fee: check payable to "The Academy of American Poets (WW)."
O Postmark entry between September 15 and November 30, 2007.

Optional:

O Self-addressed, stamped postcard if you wish the Academy to acknowlege receipt of your entry.
O Self-addressed, stamped business-sized envelope if you wish to receive notification of contest results by mail.

Manuscripts submitted without entry form or entry fee will not be considered, nor will they be returned.

Mailing Instructions

Please send all entry components at once, in the same envelope.

Mail complete entry to:

The Walt Whitman Award
The Academy of American Poets
584 Broadway, Suite 604
New York, NY 10012-3210

For more information, please contact:
CJ Evans
Audio & Awards Associate
TEL (212) 274-0343 ext. 18
awards@poets.org

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