Submissions for the 2025 prize open on April 1 at ohiouniversitypress.submittable.com. There is a $30 entry fee.
Named for the distinguished poet who taught for many years at Ohio University and made Athens, Ohio, the subject of many of his poems, this competition invites writers to submit unpublished collections of original poems.
Andrew Collard’s lyrical poems about Detroit show how the social and geographical past influences the present. Written from the perspective of a single parent raising a child amid increasing social isolation, economic insecurity, public catastrophes, and anxiety, Sprawl reminds us of the comforting endurance of communal experience.
Manuscripts of 60 to 95 pages should be set on standard sized paper. Name, address, and phone number should appear on the title page. If acknowledgments are included, they should appear on a separate page. Individual collections must be the work of a single author. Translations are not accepted. Manuscripts should be submitted in final form; revisions or emendations to acknowledgments will not be considered during the contest. Multiple submissions to other publishers are acceptable provided we are informed if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
The general editor is Sarah Green. The final judge for the 2025 competition is Chanda Feldman. Individual criticism of manuscripts cannot be given. Former or current students, mentors, or close friends of the general editor or final judge are not eligible to submit.
The winning manuscript will be published by Ohio University Press the following year and will be awarded a cash prize of $1,000.
