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."
The majority of the active University and College Poetry Prizes are endowed in perpetuity.
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.
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.
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
Nikay Paredes
Programs Director
[email protected]
(212) 274-0343 x 13
Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901
New York, NY 10038