42 Miles Press Poetry Award

Judge: David Dodd Lee, Series Editor

Note: We are currently OPEN for submissions (as of February 1, 2024).

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 poets who have never published a full-length book as well as poets who have published several. New and Selected collections of poems are also welcome.

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. 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 his or her book, and 50 author copies. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at Indiana University South Bend ) post-pandemic) as part of the release of the 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 2024.

The winning book will be published in 2026 and be available to purchase on in our bookstore, SPD and on Amazon.

Manuscripts will be accepted from February 1, 2024 to June 15, 2024.

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: