University & College Poetry Prizes
poetry poets University & College Poetry Prizes
Poets.org - Academy of American Poets
University & College Poetry Prizes - Established in 1955, the University and College Poetry Prize program began with ten schools. Today, the Academy of American Poets sponsors over two hundred annual prizes for poetry at U.S. colleges and universities, and has awarded cash prizes to nearly ten thousand student poets since the program’s inception.
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Poets.org
Established in 1955, the University and College Poetry Prize program began with ten schools. Today, the Academy of American Poets sponsors over two hundred annual poetry prizes at colleges and universities across the U.S, and has awarded cash prizes to nearly ten thousand student poets since the program's inception. The recognition winning student poets receive provides important validation. As one student poet, Emily, shared, "As a young poet the prize not only made me feel as if my work had something of value, it made me feel connected with the broader poetic community. It increased my confidence in my writing and encouraged me to continue working at my craft."

History

Many of our most esteemed poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets 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, Ocean Vuong, and Charles Wright.

Establishing a Prize

The majority of the active University and College Poetry Prizes are endowed in perpetuity.

New U.S. schools are admitted into the program only with a $5,000 endowment contribution, which allows a cash prize of $100 to be awarded each year in perpetuity, enables the Academy of American Poets to provide a year-long membership to the winning student, and assists with the administrative costs of the program. We encourage anyone wishing to endow a college prize to contact the Awards Coordinator before selecting a school. We want to ensure the school's ability to annually award the prize. Additionally, some of our oldest prizes do not yet have endowments, and we would very much like to see them secured.

A prize may be named by the donor or donors, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Donors receive copies of their schools' winning poems each year, as well as a lifetime subscription to American Poets, the Academy's biannual journal.

Prize Eligibility

Each participating school determines whether to make its prize open to undergraduates, graduate students, or both, and sets restrictions on submission length, deadline, and number of poems. No restrictions may be made regarding theme or style. Only registered students of a given participating school are eligible for the prize offered through that institution. If you are a student and have already determined that your school hosts an Academy prize, but do not know whom to contact for guidelines, please write to Nikay Paredes, Programs Director, for details. Be sure to include the name of the school.

Contest Procedures

Fall

A faculty member at each participating school, usually in the English department or writing program, works to coordinate the contest with the Academy to ensure that it is properly conducted each year. The prize coordinator serves as a liaison with the Academy, selecting judges and controlling such matters as the contest deadline, eligibility (a contest may be open to undergraduates, graduate students, or both), the number of poems to be submitted by each student, and local publicity.

Spring

The Academy supplies each coordinator with a form for reporting the contest results. The coordinator is required to provide contact information for the winner and data about the contest administration, as well as copies of each winning poem.

Each school awards $100 to a sole winner. In addition, one student may be selected for honorable mention.

The Academy issues prize checks and letters of congratulation to the winners, and also sends letters of congratulation to honorable mentions. All winners are announced in the Academy's Annual Report.

For questions, please contact Nikay Paredes, Programs Director.

Past Winners

2022 University & College Poetry Prizes

2021 University & College Poetry Prizes

2020 University & College Poetry Prizes

2019 University & College Poetry Prizes

2018 University & College Poetry Prizes

2017 University & College Poetry Prizes

2016 University & College Poetry Prizes

2015 University & College Poetry Prizes

Participating Colleges & Universities

Agnes Scott College

Prize Name: Janef Preston Poetry Prize

Founded: 1976

Donor: Agnes Scott College

2023 Prizewinner: Julian River, “august”

University of Alabama

Prize Name: Hill-Kohn Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: University of Alabama

2023 Prizewinner: Isabelle Doyle, “Hello Glacier”

Amherst College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1959

Donor: Trustees of Amherst College

2023 Prizewinner: Kei Lim, “Evergreen”

Aquinas College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2001

Donor: Mrs. Linda Nemec Foster

2023 Prizewinner: Jenna Hoinke, “​​My Grandfather’s Broken English”

Arizona State University

Prize Name: Katharine C. Turner Prize

Founded: 1994

Donor: Ms. Katharine C. Turner

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Arizona

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: University of Arizona

2023 Prizewinner: Jo Blair Cipriano, “Bitch Ghazal”

University of Arkansas

Prize Name: C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2019

Donor: Geffrey Davis

2023 Prizewinner: CD Eskilson, "Draft Message to My Sibling After Top Surgery"

Auburn University

Prize Name: Robert Hughes Mount Jr. Prize in Poetry

Founded: 1984

Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes

2023 Prizewinner: Alex Alford, “Duplex”

Augsburg University

Prize Name: John R. Mitchell Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Mrs. Jeanette Mitchell

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Bard College

Prize Name: The Flow Chart Foundation/Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: David Kermani, The Flow Chart Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Zoey Rose Collea, “Birdlime”

Baylor University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1987

Donor: Beall Poetry Festival

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Beloit College

Prize Name: Beloit Poetry Journal Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: Ms. Marion Stocking

2023 Prizewinner: Qin Qin, “ode to Chella Man and Leo Sheng”

Bennington College

Prize Name: The Green Prize for Poetry

Founded: 2006

Donor: Kelly Green & Forrest MacGregor

2023 Prizewinner: Xiao Ma, “Whales”

Bergen Community College

Prize Name: The Steven W. Chung Poetry Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Steven W. Chung

2023 Prizewinner: Anthony Giamanco, “Ojala'”

Boston University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1980

Donor: Boston University Creative Writing Program

2023 Prizewinner: Brian Flynn, “The End of the End”

Bowdoin College

Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Colette Inez Poetry Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: Mr. Jack Miller

2023 Prizewinner: Bobby Murray, “Egon Schiele, ‘Lovers (Self-Portrait with Wally)’ (1914)”

Bradley University

Prize Name: Sipple Poetry Prize

Founded: 1986

Donor: Bradley University

2023 Prizewinner: Rachel L. Watson, “Murmuration”

Brandeis University

Prize Name: The Ramón Feliciano Poetry Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: Mariana Mcdonald

2023 Prizewinner: Autumn Bellan, “the barbary dove pays me a visit”

Brigham Young University

Prize Name: Ethel Lowry Handley Poetry Prize

Founded: 2001

Donor: Ethel Lowry Handley

2023 Prizewinner: Ruth A.M, “A Plastified Body”

Brooklyn College, CUNY

Prize Name: Burton A. Goldberg Poetry Prize

Founded: 1987

Donor: Mr. Burton Goldberg

2023 Prizewinner: Julianna Salinas, “matamoros”

Brown University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2008

Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Leander McCormick-Goodhart

2023 Prizewinner: Megan Slusarewicz, “The Dead Vlei”

Bryn Mawr College

Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Marie Bullock

Founded: 1957

Donor: Mrs. Peter McCormick

2023 Prizewinner: Sofi Güven, “A Walk Around the World”

California State University, Fresno (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Prize

Founded: 1997

Donor: The Friends of Larry Levis

2023 Prizewinner: Sharon K. McClain, “Weathering”

California State University, Fresno (graduate)

Prize Name: Ernesto Trejo Memorial Prize

Founded: 1982

Donor: The Friends of Ernesto Trejo

2023 Prizewinner: Hermelinda Hernandez Monjaras, “The Exit”

California State University, Los Angeles

Prize Name: Henri Coulette Memorial Award

Founded: 1979

Donor: California State University, Los Angeles

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

California State University, Northridge

Prize Name: George Dillon Memorial Award

Founded: 1968

Donor: California State University, Northridge

2023 Prizewinner: Markie Metzelar, “A Million Little Things, But It's More Like Thirty”

University of California, Berkeley

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1963

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of California, Davis

Prize Name: Celeste Turner Wright Poetry Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: Prof. Celeste Turner Wright

2023 Prizewinner: Sarah Mayo, “Laundry Room”

University of California, Irvine

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1969

Donor: Mr. Walter J. Thomson

2023 Prizewinner: Leah Mahealani Anderson, “Stones”

University of California, Los Angeles

Prize Name: Fred and Edith Herman Memorial Prize

Founded: 1963

Donor: Ms. Joan LaBombard

2023 Prizewinner: Mishal Imaan Syed, “wintering in america”

California Polytechnic State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: California Polytechnic State University

2023 Prizewinner: Dylan Terman, “Tales from the Chevy”

Calvin College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: Calvin College

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Carnegie Mellon University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1977

Donor: Carnegie Mellon University

2023 Prizewinner: Kinapal Paguyo, “​​Critique of an Arabesque”

Central Michigan University

Prize Name: Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize

Founded: 2010

Donor: Phillip Sterling

2023 Prizewinner: Cailey Calhoun, “Effects of Fetal Alcoholism”

Central Pennsylvania College

Prize Name: Geraldine G. Britcher Poetry Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Centre College

Prize Name: Paul Cantrell Poetry Prize

Founded: 2000

Donor: Mr. Phillip Sterling

2023 Prizewinner: Julia Catherine Johns, “Carnelian”

Chatham University

Prize Name: The Laurie Mansell Reich Poetry Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: Laurie and Henry Reich

2023 Prizewinner: Alasdair Blackwell, “​​​​cardinal”

University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1999

Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Soumya Jaiswal, “Standing Vigil at the Altar”

University of Cincinnati (graduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1999

Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Hassaan Mirza, “​​Guzzle”

The City College of San Francisco

Prize Name: The Felicia Farr Lemon Poetry Prize

Founded: 1982

Donor: Mrs. Felicia Farr Lemmon

2023 Prizewinner: Zedekiah Gonsalves Schild, “Elegy for the Undead”

Cleveland State University

Prize Name: Alberta Turner Poetry Prize

Founded: 2008

Donor: Cleveland State University

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Colorado State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1997

Donor: Colorado State University Faculty & Administration

2023 Prizewinner: Jake Friedman, “The Colorado River (A to Z)”

Columbia College Chicago

Prize Name: Eileen Lannan Poetry Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Co-Prizewinners: Ankita Sadarjoshi, “sugarburn”

Columbia University (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: Anonymous

2023 Prizewinner: Anne-Marie Daphne Dillon, “I am your controlling jock boyfriend with a car”

Columbia University (graduate)

Prize Name: Bennett Poetry Prize

Founded: 1959

Donor: The New York Times Advertising Department

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Connecticut College

Prize Name: Charles B. Palmer Poetry Award

Founded: 1979

Donor: Connecticut College

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Cooper Union

Prize Name: Elizabeth Kray Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: Cooper Union

2023 Prizewinner: Ashton Carless, “About Drawing Words”

Cornell College

Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Clyde and Jewell Bothwell Tull

Founded: 1990

Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug

2023 Prizewinner: Alary Schmitt, “Deer Meat”

Cornell University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Litowitz Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Creighton University

Prize Name: Oscar M. Macelliao Poetry Prize

Founded: 1989

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Joey Rougas, “Dream Boy”

Dartmouth College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: Dartmouth College

2023 Prizewinner: Edgar Morales, "Swim"

Davidson College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2019

Donor: Elizabeth Wade

2023 Prizewinner: Erin Price, “​​8 kHurts*”

University of Delaware

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Jordanna E. Garland, “Being a POC in a PWI”

University of Denver

Prize Name: Edward M. Lannan Poetry Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Dickinson College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Dickinson College

2023 Prizewinner: Lily Bibro, “In that Yellow Light”

Drew University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2006

Donor: Susan Vartanian Barba

2023 Prizewinner: Chloe Gocher, “Buried/Sky”

Duke University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: The Biddle Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Tyler King, “Texan Gospel”

Elizabethtown College

Prize Name: The Raymond and Mausolene Stouffer Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Emerson College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2003

Donor: Emerson College

2023 Co-Prizewinners: GCM (graduate), “Melody” and Clara Allison (undergraduate), “The Train Home”

Emory University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: The Friends of Creative Writing

2023 Prizewinner: Chloe Wegrzynowicz, “For the Horses”

Florida International University

Prize Name: Christopher F. Kelly Award for Poetry

Founded: 1987

Donor: Mr. John Bond

2023 Prizewinner: Rosa Sophia, “Villanelle at 37”

Florida State University (undergraduate)

Prize Name: John MacKay Shaw Award

Founded: 1984

Donor: Florida State University

2023 Prizewinner: Inez Mateosky, “Quick Reminder: We’re Dying”

Florida State University (graduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1982

Donor: Florida State University

2023 Prizewinner: Hera Naguib, “Okra”

Fordham University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: Fordham University

2023 Prizewinner: Prettystar Lopez, “Desahogo”

Franklin & Marshall College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: Mr. and Mrs. C. Hunter Boll

2023 Prizewinner: Grace Celi, “Seas are Rising and You Texted Me the Sweetest Thing”

George Mason University

Prize Name: The Joseph A. Lohman III Poetry Prize

Founded: 2003

Donor: Ms. Judith V. Lelchook

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

George Washington University

Prize Name: A. E. Claeyssens, Jr. Poetry Prize

Founded: 1990

Donor: George Washington University

2023 Prizewinner: India Moore, “13 Ways to Play with Your Body”

Georgetown University

Prize Name: Ora Mary Pelham Poetry Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Kristen Abram (graduate), “Greens are Good,” and David Edwards (undergraduate), “Memory Bank”

Georgia College

Prize Name: Frankye Davis Mayes Prize

Founded: 2000

Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes

2023 Co-Prizewinners: Kelsie Doran (graduate), “Big Ugly,” and Jaci Hill (undergraduate), “Sweet Onions”

Georgia State University

Prize Name: The Robert V. Morea III Poetry Prize

Founded: 2018

Donor: Dr. Katherine Kincer

2023 Prizewinner: Reese Orkin, “Saccharine Dreams”

Gettysburg College

Prize Name: Marion Zulauf Prize

Founded: 1987

Donor: Mr. Sander Zulauf

2023 Prizewinner: Michael R Allessi, “Two Scenes on the Road”

Grinnell College

Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Lorabel Richardson

Founded: 1994

Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug

2023 Prizewinner: Beatrice Crist, “Thoughts from a Fictive Young Accountant”

Hamilton College

Prize Name: Ralph and Doris Hansmann Poetry Prize

Founded: 1962

Donor: Hamilton College

2023 Prizewinner: Eva Glassman, “Here You Are Again”

Harrisburg Area Community College

Prize Name: Dale T. Guhl Memorial Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Hartwick College

Prize Name: Anna Sonder Prize

Founder: 1979

Donor: Dr. Otto Sonder

2023 Prizewinner: Sofia Escobar, “Poesis”

Harvard University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: Harvard University

2023 Prizewinner: Taylor Fang, “In Lieu of Watching the News”

University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1980

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Kalilinoe Detwiler, “The Geckos are on Fire”

Hofstra University

Prize Name: Nancy P. Schnader Award

Founded: 1974

Donor: Hofstra University

2023 Prizewinner: Lauren Ballinger, “twelve oh eight two thousand at four forty nine in the morning: a story told through footnotes”

University of Houston

Prize Name: Brazos Bookstore/ Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: Mr. Karl Kilian

2023 Prizewinner: Adele Elise Williams, “​​Idolatry for Dummies”

Hollins University

Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize

Founded: 1971

Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.

2023 Prizewinner: Abigail Kahn, “You Will Get the Flan Pan”

College of the Holy Cross

Prize Name: Dominick Lepore Poetry Award

Founded: 1992

Donor: Dominick J. Lepore

2023 Prizewinner: Julianna Mariani, “My Hero”

Hope College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: Hope College

2023 Prizewinner: Adriana Barker, "Unwritten"

Hunter College

Prize Name: Catalina Páez & Seumas MacManus Award

Founded: 1987

Donor: Miss Patricia MacManus, Mrs. Mariquita M. Mullan

2023 Prizewinner: Jenna Murray, “What is left, or how to save it”

University of Idaho

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett

2023 Prizewinner: Libby Croce, “Where the Fuck Is the North Star”

Illinois College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2003

Donor: Ms. Deborah Klang Smith

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Illinois Wesleyan University

Prize Name: Arthur W. Hinners & Louise Hinners Sipfle Prize

Founded: 1980

Donor: Friends & Family of Louise Hinners Sipfle

2023 Prizewinner: Ninetta DeBoni, “Crystallized Repentance”

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Prize Name: Ruth Llewellyn Baird Prize

Founded: 1966

Donor: Mrs. Robert D. Wood

2023 Prizewinner: Gen Ansong, “Ghost at Aisle 5”

Indiana University Bloomington

Prize Name: The Vera Meyer Strube Poetry Prize

Founded: 2003

Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe

2023 Prizewinner: Bernardo Wade, “My Pops Says He Wants His Popeyes Hot”

Indiana State University

Prize Name: The Madeline DeGaetano Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 1996

Donor: Dr. Elaine L. Kleiner

2023 Prizewinner: Savannah Boulware, “Flames in My Reflection”

Institute of American Indian Arts

Prize Name: The Betty and Norman Lockwood Poetry Prize

Founded: 2012

Donor: James Harder

2023 Prizewinner: Tiana Martinez, “oxtail’s end song”

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Othuke Umukoro, "Leave the title"

Johns Hopkins University

Prize Name: The Laureen Rita Schipsi Poetry Prize

Founded: 2011

Donor: Mr. Thomas Newton Bolling

2023 Prizewinner: Anna Scott, “Mid-morning at Oswald’s Bear Ranch”

Kenyon College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: Kenyon College

2023 Prizewinner: Aaliyah C. Daniels, “Black Girl Horrified By Sight”

Keystone College

Prize Name: Edward M. Cameron IV Poetry Prize

Founded: 1990

Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Lafayette College

Prize Name: Jean E. Corrie Poetry Prize

Founded: 1989

Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Lewis & Clark College

Prize Name: Vern Rutsala Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: Lewis & Clark College

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

Prize Name: John & Agnes McCarten Memorial Award

Founded: 1967

Donor: Ms. Jeanne Marie Scott

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Loyola University Maryland

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2004

Donor: Loyola University Maryland

2023 Prizewinner: Vera Pavlovich, “Waling Waling, or if I were sampaguita”

Loyola University of Chicago

Prize Name: Dr. Frank C. Lawler Poetry Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Lynchburg

Prize name: Miriam T. and Jude M. Pfister Poetry Prize

Founded: 2015

Donor: Miriam T. and Jude M. Pfister

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Macalester College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: Macalester College

2023 Prizewinner: Anna Šverclová, “The Second Time”

Marietta College

Prize Name: The Stephen Schwartz Prize in Poetry

Founded: 2005

Donor: Laura Baudo Sillerman

2023 Prizewinner: Megan Marshall, “Looks that Can Kill”

University of Maryland, College Park

Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Anaïs Nin

Founded: 1984

Donor: Mr. Robert W. Newcomb

2023 Prizewinner: Ava Serra, “Muir Woods: Goosepen Chapels”

University of Mary Washington

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia

2023 Prizewinner: Elsa Howell, “Green River Blues”

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Prize Name: Joseph Langland Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

2023 Prizewinner: Rachelle Toarmino, “Real Romantic”

University of Massachusetts, Boston

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Claire H. McCabe (graduate), “Semantic Primes,” and Alanah C. Mendes Andrade (undergraduate), “hiccups”

University of Memphis

Prize Name: The Deborah L. Talbot Poetry Award

Founded: 2002

Donor: Deborah L. Talbot

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Messiah University

Prize Name: Carrie A. Guhl Poetry Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: Abby Smoker, “the sleep of Reason”

Miami-Dade College

Prize Name: Fred Shaw Poetry Prize

Founded: 1973

Donor: Kathleen Welton

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Miami University (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Harris S. Abrahams Poetry Prize

Founded: 2000

Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams

2023 Prizewinner: Riley Courtney, “River Nymphs and Pebble Goddesses”

Miami University (graduate)

Prize Name: Betty Jane Abrahams Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 2001

Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams

2023 Prizewinner: K. Anand-Gall, “Mehndi Ceremony, Night Before Our Wedding”

University of Miami

Prize Name: Alfred Boas Poetry Prize

Founded: 1993

Donor: University of Miami

2023 Prizewinner: Isadora Spangler, “What I Was”

Millersville University

Prize Name: Louis Darrell Sage Poetry Prize

Founded: 2015

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: A. D. Cusanno, “Reef Sharks”

University of Michigan (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1995

Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley

2023 Prizewinner: Frances Chen, “My mother once said”

University of Michigan (graduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley

2023 Prizewinner: Diepreye Amanah, “Of”

University of Minnesota

Prize Name: James Wright Prize in Poetry

Founded: 1963

Donor: University of Minnesota

2023 Prizewinner: Kachina Yeager, “kapemni”

Mississippi State University

Prize Name: Joy Taylor Rieves Poetry Prize

Founded: 2021

Donor: Mississippi State University

2023 Prizewinner: Jessica Maxwell, “Gemini”

University of Missouri at Columbia

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1990

Donor: University of Missouri

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Montana

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1974

Donor: University of Montana

2023 Prizewinner: Lauren Tess, “Thaw”

Mount Holyoke College

Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize

Founded: 1960

Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.

2023 Prizewinner: Ace Chandler, “FUTURE BEEF”

Muskingum University

Prize Name: Beulah Brooks Brown Award in Poetry

Founded: 1993

Donor: Muskingum University

2023 Prizewinner: Rylee Magnani, “We Can Joke About It Now”

Naropa University

Prize Name: The Margaret Randall Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: Friends of Margaret Randall

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Prize Name: Wilbur Gaffney Poetry Prize

Founded: 1963

Donor: Professor Emeritus Wilbur Gaffney

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Nebraska, MFA

Prize Name: Helen W. Kenefick Poetry Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Mr. John C. Kenefick

2023 Prizewinner: Terry Belew, “Wish List After Using a 3D Printer”

New Jersey City University

Prize Name: The Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2004

Donor: New Jersey City University

2023 Prizewinner: Jack Liddell, “Saudade”

University of New Orleans

Prize Name: Andrea Saunders Gereighty Poetry Award

Founded: 1986

Donor: Ms. Andrea S. Gereighty

2023 Prizewinner: Lin Flores, “TWO BOYS VOGUING AT THE ROLLER RINK”

New Mexico State University

Prize Name: Ruth Scott Poetry Award

Founded: 2005

Donor: Judith N. Scott

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

New York University

Prize Name: Judith Lobel Arkin Poetry Prize

Founded: 2011

Donor: The Arkin Family

2023 Prizewinner: Samantha Long, “Georgia O'Keeffe”

University of North Dakota

Prize Name: The Thomas McGrath Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: University of North Dakota

2023 Prizewinner: Casey Fuller, “The Prairie”

University of North Texas

Prize Name: Paul R. Voertman Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: University of North Texas

2023 Prizewinner: Dan DeVaughn, “Animal Story”

University of Notre Dame

Prize Name: The Billy Maich Award

Founded: 2005

Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Jessica Maich

2023 Prizewinner: Kristyn Garza, “Tattoo House”

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Prize Name: The Anne Williams Burrus Prize in Poetry

Founded: 1963

Donor: Mrs. Ann W. Burrus

2023 Prizewinner: Quinton Okoro, “The Playroom”

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Prize Name: Noel Callow Poetry Award

Founded: 1963

Donor: Anonymous

2023 Prizewinner: Madeleine Poole, “Pile of Maggots”

North Carolina State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: North Carolina State University

2023 Prizewinner: Phi Chu, “Funeral”

Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Northwestern University

Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe

2023 Prizewinner: Natalie Jarrett, “Sonnets for Dead Rappers: Ol’ Dirty Bastard”

Ohio State University

Prize Name: Arthur Rense Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Ms. Paige Rense

2023 Prizewinner: Arah Ko, “​​Haole Girl”

Oklahoma State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1978

Donor: Oklahoma State University

2023 Prizewinner: Jordyn Perazzo, “Interview with Lachesis of the Three Fates”

Old Dominion University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2006

Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia

2023 Co-Prizewinners: Tope A Larayetan (graduate), “P = F/A,” and Megan A. Pastore (undergraduate), “Amorphous”

Oregon State University

Prize Name: Weaver Undergraduate Poetry Award

Founded: 1986

Donor: Oregon State University

2023 Prizewinner: Flora Snowden, “Ode to the Pomegranate”

Pace University

Prize Name: David A. Bickimer—Promise of Learnings Poetry Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: The Promise of Learnings Inc.

2023 Prizewinner: Jack Niemczyk, “The Moon's Phase”

Pennsylvania State Harrisburg

Prize Name: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: Cayla Garman, “At the Skeet Shoot the Day After Sandy Hook”

Pennsylvania State University

Prize Name: Leonard Steinberg Memorial Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: Mrs. Pearl Steinberg

2023 Prizewinner: Liza Rose, “ON MONARCH BUTTERFLIES BECOMING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES”

University of Pennsylvania

Prize Name: William Carlos Williams Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: University of Pennsylvania

2023 Prizewinner: Knar Gavin, “APPTUS INTERRUPTUS”

Perimeter College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1999

Donor: The Chattahoochee Review

2019 Winner: No prize awarded

Piedmont College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2012

Donor: Barbara Brown Taylor

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Pittsburgh

Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe

2023 Co-Prizewinners: T.C. Martin (graduate), “Hephaestus Nursing,” and Chase Constantine (undergraduate), “Because It Makes Things Worse”

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Prize Name: The Colleen M. Brown Prize

Founded: 2012

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: Rosalie DiPaola, “The Loud House”

Portland State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1986

Donor: The Portland State University Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Hannah Crabtree-Eads, “small deaths”

Pratt Institute

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1992

Donor: Pratt Institute

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Princeton University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: Drs. William F. and Jerene Hewitt

2023 Prizewinner: Annie Cao, “In Rome with my mother”

Purdue University

Prize Name: The Thomas H. Scholl and Elizabeth Boyd Thompson Poetry Prize

Founded: 2006

Donor: Thomas H. Scholl

2023 Prizewinner: Kanika Ahuja, “Lover :: Mango :: Tongue”

Randolph College

Prize Name: Charles and Fanny Fay Wood Poetry Prize

Founded: 1963

Donor: Philip Morris Companies, Inc.

2023 Co-Prizewinners: Rene Mullen (graduate), Last Meal,” and Hannah Russler (undergraduate), “Once Upon a Time”

University of Redlands

Prize Name: Jean Burden Award

Founded: 1984

Donor: Ms. Virginia Everett Smith

2023 Prizewinner: Sadie E. Forkner, “Spring”

Reed College

Prize Name: The Mary Barnard Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1994

Donor: Reed College

2023 Prizewinner: Cassie Minicucci, “24 December, 1914”

University of Richmond

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia

2023 Prizewinner: Simone Reid, “Things That Run”

Rice University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1986

Donor: Joyce Pounds Hardy

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Rochester

Prize Name: Marion Devendorf Van Laak Poetry Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: University of Rochester

2023 Prizewinner: Anna Grace Wenger, “Fragments of a list and then thoughts on that list”

Rockford University

Prize Name: Colleen Holmbeck Poetry Prize

Founded: 1984

Donor: Rockford University

2023 Prizewinner: Hana Ferguson, “Strawberry”

Rollins College

Prize Name: Arden Goettling / Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: Family & Friends of Arden Goettling

2023 Prizewinners: No prize awarded

Rutgers University

Prize Name: Enid Dame Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: Jeanne Marie Beaumont

2023 Prizewinner: Iris Nguyễn, “In the end, a girl's name”

St. John’s University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2006

Donor: Thomas McInerney

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

St. Lawrence University

Prize Name: James Ligon Price III Memorial Prize in Poetry

Founded: 1975

Donor: St. Lawrence University

2023 Prizewinner: Catalina Monteiro, “Land of Broken Eggs (Hometown Abecedarian)”

Saint Mary’s College of California

Prize Name: Russell & Yvonne Lannan Poetry Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Sam Houston State University

Prize Name: The William C. Weathers Memorial Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: Ms. Melissa Morphew

2023 Prizewinner: Candace Simpson, “A Girl in a Spring”

San Francisco State University (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Piri Thomas Poetry Prize

Founded: 2009

Donors: Friends and Family of Piri Thomas

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

San Francisco State University (graduate)

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1996

Donors: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Karla Myn Khine, “Caelum (The Chisel)”

University of San Francisco

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2009

Donor: University of San Francisco

2023 Prizewinner: Lia Sina, "4th of July"

San Jose State University

Prize Name: Virginia de Araujo Prize

Founded: 1981

Donor: Virginia de Araujo Trust

2023 Prizewinner: Hilary King, “Trees on Fire: Poem for the 1991 Tunnel Hill Fire”

Santa Clara University

Prize Name: Tamara Verga Poetry Prize

Founded: 1995

Donor: Victoria Verga Logan and Frank Verga, Jr.

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Sarah Lawrence College (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1974

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Sarah Lawrence College (graduate)

Prize Name: The John B. Santoianni Award for Excellence in Poetry

Founded: 2005

Donor: Joseph McCrindle and Charmaine Ferenczi

2023 Prizewinner: Rishona Michael, “Bless You”

Shimer Great Books School at North Central College

Prize Name: Ruth Cooley Poetry Prize

Founded: 1976

Donor: Mr. Peter Cooley

2023 Prizewinner: Molly Fisher, “Disco Ball Blues”

Shippensburg University

Prize Name: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize

Founded: 2015

Donor: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize

2023 Prizewinner: Olivia Chovanes, “Body on Body”

Skidmore College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Skidmore College

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Smith College

Prize Name: Anne Bradstreet Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: Smith College

2023 Prizewinner: Paige Ellen Passantino, “Oranges”

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (undergraduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Mr. Rodney Jones

2023 Prizewinner: Sophie Whitten, “Buried in the Corn”

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (graduate)

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1998

Donor: Carolyn Forman Moe

2023 Prizewinner: Jo Christian, “A Family Ghost, My Father's Shadow”

Spelman College

Prize Name: Edith A. Hambie Poetry Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: Friends and Family of Edith Hambie

2023 Prizewinner: Tyler Ryan, “Alumna”

Spring Hill College

Prize Name: Reverend Andrew C. Smith, S.J., Poetry Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Abby Palopoli, “corduroy”

Stetson University

Prize Name: The Holly M. Kimball Poetry Prize

Founded: 2005

Donor: Mr. Phillip Blumberg

2023 Prizewinners: Katherine Orfinger, “Siege on No-Man’s Land”

SUNY Albany

Prize Name: Phyllis Hurd Liston Poetry Prize

Founded: 1998

Donor: The Liston Family

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

SUNY Binghamton

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1979

Donor: SUNY Binghamton

2023 Prizewinner: AJ White (graduate), “Semiprecious,” and Elizabeth Plantin (undergraduate), “195th Street”

SUNY Buffalo (graduate)

Prize Name: Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize

Founded: 2010

Donor: Mr. Dan Liberthson

2023 Prizewinner: Alice Hall, “amtrak”

SUNY Buffalo (undergraduate)

Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1974

Donor: SUNY Buffalo

2023 Prizewinner: Katie Naughton, “Easy Listening”

SUNY Farmingdale

Prize Name: Raynor Wallace Poetry Award

Founded: 1988

Donor: SUNY Farmingdale

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

SUNY Oswego

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: Mr. John W. Mincher, Jr.

2023 Prizewinner: Horane Daley, “Trees Talk Tall Lives”

Swarthmore College

Prize Name: Nathalie F. Anderson Prize

Founded: 2021

Donor: Alumni of Swarthmore College

2023 Prizewinner: Finn Verdonk, “David as Galatea”

Sweet Briar College

Prize Name: The Jean Taylor Meyer Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 2003

Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe

2023 Prizewinner: Avery W. Lewis, “Noctiluca”

Temple University

Prize Name: Albert J. Caplan Prize

Founded: 1985

Donor: Mr. Albert J. Caplan

2023 Prizewinner: Grace Pinkstone, “The Time I Won the Local Youth (7-13) Poetry Competition”

University of Texas at Austin

Prize Name: Andrew Julius Gutow Poetry Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: The Andrew Julius Gutow Memorial Fund

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Trinity College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1997

Donor: Trinity College

2023 Prizewinner: Gemma Feltovich, “Catching a Gecko: On Possession”

Tufts University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: Tufts University

2023 Prizewinner: Andres F. Arevalo Zea, “It’s The Way We Fall”

Tulane University

Prize Name: Anselle M. Larson / Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Mr. Herbert V. Larson, Jr.

2023 Prizewinner: Sydney Soganich, “On Queerness”

United States Naval Academy

Prize Name: Stuart Pitt Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 1975

Donor: Mrs. A. Stuart Pitt

2023 Prizewinner: Madeline Torrez, “tourist attractions in key west”

University of Utah

Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Poetry Prize

Founded: 1969

Donor: University of Utah

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Valdosta State University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1986

Donor: Mr. Edward Davin Vickers

2023 Prizewinner: Harley Hogan-Stone, “Seconds”

Valparaiso University

Prize Name: Vivian S. Richards Memorial Prize

Founded: 1988

Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker

2023 Prizewinner: Amelie De Jesus, “The Mourning of the Daffodil”

Vanderbilt University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Vanderbilt University

2023 Prizewinner: Caroline Stevens, “Interiors”

Vassar College

Prize Name: Mary Rousmaniere Gordon Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: Mr. Albert H. Gordon

2023 Prizewinner: Caitlin Wong, “Asians Who Misbehave”

University of Virginia

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Henry Hoyns Bequest, Charles Wright

2023 Prizewinner: ethan s. evans, “Lemming Crown”

Virginia Commonwealth University

Prize Name: Catherine and Joan Byrne Poetry Prize

Founded: 2002

Donor: Nan Byrne

2023 Prizewinner: Waverley Vesely, “I wish I did not have to”

Virginia Tech

Prize name: Virginia Tech / Poetry Society of Virginia Prize

Founded: 2007

Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia

2023 Prizewinner: Dante Fuoco, “straight to grandmother's house”

Wake Forest University

Prize name: The Edwin G. Wilson/Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2022

Donor: Wake Forest University

2023 Prizewinner: Katie Bullock Gawf, “Mother (or, A Midwestern Motif)”

Washington College

Prize Name: The Jude and Miriam Pfister Poetry Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Dr. & Mrs. Jude Pfister

2023 Prizewinner: McKenna Smith, "Sweet Tune"

Washington & Lee University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Anonymous

2023 Prizewinner: Anneliese Schneider, “Voicemail to October”

Washington University

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1968

Donor: Washington University

2023 Prizewinner: Asha Futterman (graduate), “empathy,” and Juliet Nisly (undergraduate), “Sadie”

University of Washington

Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: The New Hope Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Laurel Wilkinson, “Assess”

Wayne State University

Prize Name: John Clare Prize

Founded: 1984

Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker

2023 Prizewinner: Isaac Pickell, “An hour after Auschwitz I tasted the perfect pierogi”

Wellesley College

Prize Name: Nevin Prize

Founded: 1957

Donor: The Family of Betty Nevin Marshall & Robert Nevin

2023 Prizewinner: Emma Sophia Sullivan, “Mary on Ski Break”

Wells College

Prize Name: Catharine B. De Pau Poetry Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry

2023 Prizewinner: Emma Sheiman, “Another Composted Poem”

Wesleyan College

Prize Name: George Warren Gignilliat, Jr. Poetry Prize

Founded: 1984

Donor: J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz

2023 Prizewinner: Lauren Isabella Beamon, “peace: in the eye of the storm”

Wesleyan University

Prize Name: Sarah Hannah Memorial Prize

Founded: 2008

Donor: Kate Bernheimer

2023 Prizewinners: Melat Amde Gebremeskel, “Marigold, Mother”

Westminster College

Prize Name: Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Prize

Founded: 1999

Donor: Westminster College

2023 Prizewinner: Saydi Anderson, “Make the Cut”

College of William & Mary

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 1983

Donor: Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda

2023 Prizewinner: Alexander Lazarus Wolff, “Temple in the Jungle”

Williams College

Prize Name: Bullock Poetry Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: The Academy of American Poets

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Wilson College

Prize Name: The William and Ivy Saylor Prize

Founded: 2013

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: Natalie Beckner, “My Lady”

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Prize Name: George B. Hill Poetry Prize

Founded: 2004

Donor: Kevin P. Bjerregaard

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

College of Wooster

Prize Name: Cora Owlett Latzer Award

Founded: 1983

Donor: Ms. Susan Donnell

2023 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Yale University

Prize Name: Sean T. Lannan Poetry Prize

Founded: 1955

Donor: The Lannan Foundation

2023 Prizewinner: Vaughn Goehrig, “The Life and Times of”

Yonsei University / Underwood International College

Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize

Founded: 2011

Donor: Yonsei University

2023 Prizewinner: Dione Cavadias (graduate), “A Seoul Forest Dream,” and Hanul Kim (undergraduate), “​​이것은 시다: This is a Poem”

York College of Pennsylvania

Prize Name: Mary Jane’s Diamond Prize

Founded: 2015

Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher

2023 Prizewinner: Lee Krauss, “In the Mirror Is a Stranger

Materials for Coordinators Download PDF

Contact Information

Nikay Paredes

Programs Director

[email protected]

(212) 274-0343 x 13

Academy of American Poets

75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901

New York, NY 10038