National Federation Of State Poetry Societies, Inc

Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition

 

2023 GUIDELINES 

Awarding $1000 + Publication + 50 Books

2022 Stevens Poetry Manuscript Competition Winner

MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
Printable PDF

Manuscripts not following these guidelines may be disqualified.



The judge for the 2023 Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition is Edward Hirsch.

Edward Hirsch, a MacArthur Fellow, has published ten books of poems, including The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems (2010), Gabriel: A Poem (2014), and Stranger by Night (2020). He has also published six prose books about poetry, most recently 100 Poems to Break Your Heart (2021) and The Heart of American Poetry (2022). He has received many awards and fellowships, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pablo Neruda Presidential Medal of Honor. He taught at Wayne State University and the University of Houston and now serves as President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

 

General Guidelines

Deadline

The submissions window opens September 1, 2023, and closes at midnight PST November 15, 2023. The Submittable online system will be accessible only during this time. No early or late submissions will be considered. If you are unable to use Submittable, please email stevenschair@nfsps.com no later than November 8, 2023, to ask about alternative means of submission.

Entry Categories & Fees

The submission fee is $20 for NFSPS members and $25 for non-members. Members of a state poetry society affiliated with NFSPS are automatically members. To verify that your state society is affiliated, go to https://www.nfsps.com/states.html. Not all “state poetry societies” are NFSPS affiliates, so please check to determine whether to submit as a member or a non-member.
The submission fee is not refundable. There will be no refunds for manuscripts found to be ineligible or withdrawn because of acceptance elsewhere or for any other reason.

How to Submit

Judging

Questions

You may address questions to the competition co-chairs via email at stevenschair@nfsps.com.

The National Federation of State Poetry Societies adheres to the CLMP Code of Ethics CLMP Code Of Ethics