42 Miles Press Poetry Award

Judge: David Dodd Lee, Series Editor

Note: We are CLOSED for submissions!

The 42 Miles Press Poetry Award was created in an effort to bring urgent and original voices to the poetry reading public. The prize is offered annually to any poet writing in English, including international poets, poets who have never published a full-length book, and poets who have published several. New and Selected collections of poems are also welcome. At 42 Miles Press, we’re committed to amplifying voices that matter. We’re especially eager to hear from writers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as LGBTQ writers, disabled poets, neurodivergent poets, young poets, and anyone whose work has been overlooked or pushed to the margins. Poetry thrives in diversity, and we’re here to listen.

Manuscripts submitted for the 42 Miles Press Poetry Award should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary “voice” in American poetry, an awareness of our moment in time as poets. We are excited to receive poetry that is experimental as well as work of a more formalist bent, as long as it reflects a complexity and sophistication of thought and language. Urgency, yes; melodrama, not so much. Our tastes are truly eclectic. Past winners include Betsy Andrews, Carrie Oeding, Allan Peterson, Erica Bernheim, Mary Ann Samyn, Bill Razmovicz, Tracey Knapp, William Stobb, Jake Bauer, Bryce Berkowitz, Jennifer Boyden, and Elly Bookman. The 2023 winner was Rebecca Reynolds. The 2024 winner was Dana Jaye Cadman. Editor’s Choice winners in the past have been books by Claire Bateman and Allan Peterson. A new Editor’s Choice title by Mary Ann Samyn is forthcoming.

The winning poet will receive $1,000, publication of their book, and 50 author copies. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at Indiana University South Bend as part of the release of their book. The final selection will be made by the Series Editor. Current or former students or employees of Indiana University South Bend, as well as friends of the Series Editor, are not eligible for the prize.

Winners will be announced via our website in late fall of 2025.

The winning book will be published in 2027 and be available to purchase in our bookstore, from Indiana University Press, on Amazon, and elsewhere.

Manuscripts will be accepted from February 1st, 2025 to June 15th, 2025.

We will only accept submissions through Submittable. We no longer accept hard copy submissions or emailed submissions.

Guidelines

There is a $25, non-refundable, entry fee.
Your cover sheet should include name, address, phone number, and e-mail.
The manuscript should be paginated (between 48 and 120 pp.) and include a table of contents and acknowledgments page.
There is no limit on the number of entries an author may submit.
Simultaneous submissions are fine (in fact they are encouraged), but please withdraw your manuscript if it gets taken for publication elsewhere.

Submittable: