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, Senior Programs Manager, 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, Senior Programs Manager.
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
2021 Prizewinner: Sarah Letteer, “What Is Death?”
University of Alabama
Prize Name: Hill-Kohn Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: University of Alabama
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Madeleine Spivey, "You Don’t Have to Sing" (undergraduate) and Alfredo A. Arevalo, "Eagle & Serpent Dance in Our Sangre" (graduate)
Amherst College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1959
Donor: Trustees of Amherst College
2021 Prizewinner: Anthony Ornelaz, “What's Home Like?”
Aquinas College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Mrs. Linda Nemec Foster
2021 Prizewinner: Jayden Jones, “blooming”
Arizona State University
Prize Name: Katharine C. Turner Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Katharine C. Turner
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Natasha Villegas, “In Need Of Being Thawed” (undergraduate) and Nicole Arocho Hernández, “Puerto Rican Haikus” (graduate)
University of Arizona
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of Arizona
2021 Prizewinner: Logan Phillips, "reckon"
University of Arkansas
Prize Name: C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Geffrey Davis
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Auburn University
Prize Name: Robert Hughes Mount Jr. Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2021 Prizewinner: Barbara Yauss, “Self-Diagnosis as Onocentaur”
Augsburg University
Prize Name: John R. Mitchell Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mrs. Jeanette Mitchell
2021 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
2021 Prizewinner: Amelia Van Donsel, “Unintelligible"
Baylor University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Beall Poetry Festival
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Beloit College
Prize Name: Beloit Poetry Journal Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Ms. Marion Stocking
2021 Prizewinner: Adrian Ellis Hughes, “Sonnet from Mom”
Bennington College
Prize Name: The Green Prize for Poetry
Founded: 2006
Donor: Kelly Green & Forrest MacGregor
2021 Prizewinner: Makenna Sutter-Robinson, “Anti / Violent"
Bergen Community College
Prize Name: The Steven W. Chung Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Steven W. Chung
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Boston University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: Boston University Creative Writing Program
2021 Prizewinner: James Brookes, “Least Concern”
Bowdoin College
Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Colette Inez Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mr. Jack Miller
2021 Prizewinner: Lily Poppen, “A Beginner's Guide to Companion Planting”
Bradley University
Prize Name: Sipple Poetry Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Bradley University
2021 Prizewinner: Sophia Newton, “I-74"
Brandeis University
Prize Name: The Ramon Feliciano Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Marian McDonald
2021 Prizewinner: Lily Darling, “self-portrait as the mirror who shows every face but my own (embarrassing, I know)"
Brigham Young University
Prize Name: Ethel Lowry Handley Poetry Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Ethel Lowry Handley
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Sam Niven, “Cinghiale” (undergraduate) and Alexandra Malouf, “Carpenter Bee” (graduate)
Brooklyn College, CUNY
Prize Name: Burton A. Goldberg Poetry Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Burton Goldberg
2021 Prizewinner: Liz Larsen, “The Menstruation Trilogy"
Brown University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Leander McCormick-Goodhart
2021 Prizewinner: Vicky Phan, “Untitled Entries 1 through 3”
Bryn Mawr College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Marie Bullock
Founded: 1957
Donor: Mrs. Peter McCormick
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
California State University, Fresno (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: The Friends of Larry Levis
2021 Prizewinner: Caleigh A. Camara, “A Story From My Father, Age 16, As Told While Sitting in the Hot Tub and Drinking Coffee"
California State University, Fresno (graduate)
Prize Name: Ernesto Trejo Memorial Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: The Friends of Ernesto Trejo
2021 Prizewinner: Aidan Castro, “I anesthetic back from ten,"
California State University, Los Angeles
Prize Name: Henri Coulette Memorial Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: California State University, Los Angeles
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
California State University, Northridge
Prize Name: George Dillon Memorial Award
Founded: 1968
Donor: California State University, Northridge
2021 Prizewinner: Asusena Lopez, “Remedios"
University of California, Berkeley
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: John James, “The Delusion of Being Absolute”
University of California, Davis
Prize Name: Celeste Turner Wright Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Prof. Celeste Turner Wright
2021 Prizewinner: Damieka Thomas, “Progress”
University of California, Irvine
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: Mr. Walter J. Thomson
2021 Prizewinner: Alex Stanley, “A Mill on the Lethe”
University of California, Los Angeles
Prize Name: Fred and Edith Herman Memorial Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Ms. Joan LaBombard
2021 Prizewinner: Corinne Leong, “Letter”
California Polytechnic State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: California Polytechnic State University
2021 Prizewinner: Summer Lichtenberg, “On Sunday"
Calvin College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Calvin College
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Carnegie Mellon University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1977
Donor: Carnegie Mellon University
2021 Prizewinner: Vivienne E. Pham, “I’ve got your nose”
Central Michigan University
Prize Name: Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Phillip Sterling
2021 Prizewinner: Edwin Williamson, “Life As We Know It"
Central Pennsylvania College
Prize Name: Geraldine G. Britcher Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Centre College
Prize Name: Paul Cantrell Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Phillip Sterling
2021 Prizewinner: Jacob Harris, “Clunky, Vehicular”
Chatham University
Prize Name: The Laurie Mansell Reich Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laurie and Henry Reich
2021 Prizewinner: Alexis Draut, “On Learning"
University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Julian Zee Lior, “CURRENT EVENT"
University of Cincinnati (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Marianne Chan, “On Reproduction"
The City College of San Francisco
Prize Name: The Felicia Farr Lemon Poetry Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: Mrs. Felicia Farr Lemmon
2021 Prizewinner: Kristin Jensen, “IF YOU LET IT"
Cleveland State University
Prize Name: Alberta Turner Poetry Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Cleveland State University
2021 Prizewinner: Jon Conley, “s135e10 :: King of the World"
Colorado State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Colorado State University Faculty & Administration
2021 Prizewinner: Robin M. Walter, “What grammar for prayer?"
Columbia College Chicago
Prize Name: Eileen Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Nisha Atalie, “Sprawl"
Columbia University (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Anonymous
2021 Prizewinner: Thomas Mar Wee, “Speech Acts"
Columbia University (graduate)
Prize Name: Bennett Poetry Prize
Founded: 1959
Donor: The New York Times Advertising Department
2021 Prizewinner: C. Francis Fisher, "Self-Portrait at 25"
Connecticut College
Prize Name: Charles B. Palmer Poetry Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: Connecticut College
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Cooper Union
Prize Name: Elizabeth Kray Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Cooper Union
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Cornell College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Clyde and Jewell Bothwell Tull
Founded: 1990
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2021 Prizewinner: Benjamin Covey, “List of Great Midwestern Sorrows"
Cornell University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Litowitz Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Creighton University
Prize Name: Oscar M. Macelliao Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Rachel Tanaka, “The Garden"
Dartmouth College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Dartmouth College
2021 Prizewinner: Jordan Taliha McDonald, “Dementia"
Davidson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Elizabeth Wade
2021 Prizewinner: Wren Healy, “Till April, Dakota”
University of Delaware
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Denver
Prize Name: Edward M. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Dickinson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Dickinson College
2021 Prizewinner: Olin Henry Rhoads, “At the Remembrance on the Last Day of Eighth Grade at Springvale Middle School”
Drew University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Susan Vartanian Barba
2021 Prizewinner: Riya Jay Soyantar, “To Bite God”
Duke University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Biddle Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Rebecca Schneid, “The Long Haul"
Elizabethtown College
Prize Name: The Raymond and Mausolene Stouffer Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Emerson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Emerson College
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Athena Nassar, “Alligator” (undergraduate) and Richard Haney-Jardine, “thirteen ways of looking at the faggot” (graduate)
Emory University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The Friends of Creative Writing
2021 Prizewinner: Matthew Buxton, “vii"
Florida International University
Prize Name: Christopher F. Kelly Award for Poetry
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. John Bond
2021 Prizewinner: Madari Pendas, “Crossing the Hyphen”
Florida State University (undergraduate)
Prize Name: John MacKay Shaw Award
Founded: 1984
Donor: Florida State University
2021 Prizewinner: Noah Brown, “Why I Am"
Florida State University (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: Florida State University
2021 Prizewinner: Alexa Doran, “High Tea"
Fordham University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Fordham University
2021 Prizewinner: Alin Haberle, “Developments"
Franklin & Marshall College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. C. Hunter Boll
2021 Prizewinner: Shannon Cunningham, “Ode to Revival"
George Mason University
Prize Name: The Joseph A. Lohman III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Judith V. Lelchook
2021 Prizewinner: Faith Reale, “it is what it is"
George Washington University
Prize Name: A. E. Claeyssens, Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: George Washington University
2021 Prizewinner: Alexandra Lavin, “While on a Walk with a Four Year Old”
Georgetown University
Prize Name: Ora Mary Pelham Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinners: Henry Groseclose, “Transformation of the Jar”
Georgia College
Prize Name: Frankye Davis Mayes Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Tanner Howard, “Woodworking” (undergraduate) and MaryBeth Cooper, “Everything I Hate About My Body” (graduate)
Georgia State University
Prize Name: The Robert V. Morea III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2018
Donor: Dr. Katherine Kincer
Winner: Susan Berenson, “Avalon – Model 98071”
Gettysburg College
Prize Name: Marion Zulauf Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Sander Zulauf
2021 Prizewinner: Hallie Wilk, “If I Lost The Bird Lover, My Father:"
Grinnell College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Lorabel Richardson
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2021 Prizewinner: Arsema Berhane, “In Response to Every Poem That Declares Poets as Unworthy Of Love”
Hamilton College
Prize Name: Ralph and Doris Hansmann Poetry Prize
Founded: 1962
Donor: Hamilton College
2021 Prizewinner: Connor Vincent, “Bird Bath”
Harrisburg Area Community College
Prize Name: Dale T. Guhl Memorial Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Hartwick College
Prize Name: Anna Sonder Prize
Founder: 1979
Donor: Dr. Otto Sonder
2021 Prizewinner: Rebecca Peakes, “A Desperate Dance”
Harvard University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Harvard University
2021 Prizewinner: Sophia Mautz, “1.27.2020”
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Eva Campney, “Fly Away Home”
Hofstra University
Prize Name: Nancy P. Schnader Award
Founded: 1974
Donor: Hofstra University
2021 Prizewinner: Hunter Wexler, “Lorekeeper"
University of Houston
Prize Name: Brazos Bookstore/ Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. Karl Kilian
2021 Prizewinner: Despy Boutris, “WHEN RECKONING"
Hollins University
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1971
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2021 Prizewinner: Tyler Starks, “Walk It Off Octopus”
College of the Holy Cross
Prize Name: Dominick Lepore Poetry Award
Founded: 1992
Donor: Dominick J. Lepore
2021 Prizewinner: Emma R. Robinson, "Naucum"
Hope College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Hope College
2021 Prizewinner: Jolie Smith, “Your Friend Calls it Cotard Delusion, Your Therapist Says ‘Stop Diagnosing Yourself’ (in other words), and the Flame Goes Out Again”
Hunter College
Prize Name: Catalina Páez & Seumas MacManus Award
Founded: 1987
Donor: Miss Patricia MacManus, Mrs. Mariquita M. Mullan
2021 Prizewinner: Karlina Gonzalez, “November 9th 2016”
University of Idaho
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett
2021 Prizewinner: Steven Pfau, “Proxy"
Illinois College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Deborah Klang Smith
2021 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
2021 Prizewinner: Bonnie Smith, “Fish and Loaves”
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Prize Name: Ruth Llewellyn Baird Prize
Founded: 1966
Donor: Mrs. Robert D. Wood
2021 Prizewinner: Linda Obobaifo, “Ars Poetica”
Indiana University Bloomington
Prize Name: The Vera Meyer Strube Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2021 Prizewinner: Gisselle Yepes, “Our Bodies, Our Islands, Our Waters Remembering”
Indiana State University
Prize Name: The Madeline DeGaetano Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1996
Donor: Dr. Elaine L. Kleiner
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Johns Hopkins University
Prize Name: The Laureen Rita Schipsi Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Mr. Thomas Newton Bolling
2021 Prizewinner: Amelia Gothreau Newett, “my gay is not enough”
Kenyon College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Kenyon College
2021 Prizewinner: Tariq Thompson, “A LOVING WORLD”
Keystone College
Prize Name: Edward M. Cameron IV Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Lafayette College
Prize Name: Jean E. Corrie Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2021 Prizewinner: Shirley Liu, “黄”
Lewis & Clark College
Prize Name: Vern Rutsala Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Lewis & Clark College
2021 Prizewinner: Devin Poleyumptewa, “There is no word 'Ahwatukee' in the Crow language"
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
Prize Name: John & Agnes McCarten Memorial Award
Founded: 1967
Donor: Ms. Jeanne Marie Scott
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Loyola University Maryland
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Loyola University Maryland
2021 Prizewinner: Steven Paul Greenberg, “Poem to My Palestinian Neighbor”
Loyola University of Chicago
Prize Name: Dr. Frank C. Lawler Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 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
2021 Prizewinner: Matty Cash, "prayers in exile"
Macalester College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Macalester College
2021 Prizewinner: Shelby Kruger, “German Apple Strudel”
Marietta College
Prize Name: The Stephen Schwartz Prize in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laura Baudo Sillerman
2021 Prizewinner: Nina Hahn, “Dear Imaginary Friend”
University of Maryland, College Park
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Anaïs Nin
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. Robert W. Newcomb
2021 Prizewinner: Max Lasky, “Ghost Ride”
University of Mary Washington
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2021 Prizewinner: Emma Atkinson, “Concordia”
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Prize Name: Joseph Langland Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2021 Prizewinner: JR Mahung, “untitled”
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: David Capone, “Sixtyten”
University of Memphis
Prize Name: The Deborah L. Talbot Poetry Award
Founded: 2002
Donor: Deborah L. Talbot
2021 Prizewinner: Annalee Elmore, “Ambien Stuck in Amber”
Messiah University
Prize Name: Carrie A. Guhl Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: Rachel Hungerford, “The House on Spring Hollow in the Summer”
Miami-Dade College
Prize Name: Fred Shaw Poetry Prize
Founded: 1973
Donor: Kathleen Welton
2021 Prizewinner: Maylin Enamorado-Pinheiro, “Youth: A Sermon”
Miami University (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Harris S. Abrahams Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Miami University (graduate)
Prize Name: Betty Jane Abrahams Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams
2021 Prizewinner: Nate Hoil, "Cameo amidst a moment of pure violence."
University of Miami
Prize Name: Alfred Boas Poetry Prize
Founded: 1993
Donor: University of Miami
2021 Prizewinner: Christell Victoria Roach, “Heatwave”
Millersville University
Prize Name: Louis Darrell Sage Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Michigan (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Michigan (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Minnesota
Prize Name: James Wright Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: University of Minnesota
2021 Prizewinner: Elena Ramirez-Gorski, “Abecedarian in which la Chillona uses her words”
Mississippi State University
Prize Name: Joy Taylor Rieves Poetry Prize
Founded: 2021
Donor: Mississippi State University
2021 Prizewinner: Lindsey Bronwyn Fisher, "The Second Half"
University of Missouri at Columbia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: University of Missouri
2021 Prizewinner: Jacob Griffin Hall, “That Year I Took My First Shot”
University of Montana
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: University of Montana
2021 Prizewinner: Mark Spero, “A Post Sex Build Your Own Gender Adventure”
Mount Holyoke College
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1960
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2021 Prizewinner: Jie Venus Cohen, “PRANKPHONECALLS”
Muskingum University
Prize Name: Beulah Brooks Brown Award in Poetry
Founded: 1993
Donor: Muskingum University
2021 Prizewinner: Robert Hartman, “Dad’s Questions”
Naropa University
Prize Name: The Margaret Randall Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Friends of Margaret Randall
2021 Prizewinner: Megan Kisner, “How to Cure Your Anxiety”
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Prize Name: Wilbur Gaffney Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Professor Emeritus Wilbur Gaffney
2021 Prizewinner: Saddiq Dzukogi, “Paradise”
University of Nebraska, MFA
Prize Name: Helen W. Kenefick Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. John C. Kenefick
2021 Prizewinner: Sal Ragen, “Words”
New Jersey City University
Prize Name: The Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: New Jersey City University
2021 Prizewinner: Peggy Audrey Jackson, “Make You Love Yourself”
University of New Orleans
Prize Name: Andrea Saunders Gereighty Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Ms. Andrea S. Gereighty
2021 Prizewinner: Michelle Antoinette Nicholson, “Dreamwalker Reincarnation Blues: The Ballad of Double D”
New Mexico State University
Prize Name: Ruth Scott Poetry Award
Donor: Judith N. Scott
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
New York University
Prize Name: Judith Lobel Arkin Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: The Arkin Family
2021 Prizewinner: Camilla Johnson, “Clay”
University of North Dakota
Prize Name: The Thomas McGrath Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of North Dakota
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of North Texas
Prize Name: Paul R. Voertman Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: University of North Texas
2021 Prizewinner: Aza Pace, “Chapel"
University of Notre Dame
Prize Name: The Billy Maich Award
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Jessica Maich
2021 Prizewinner: Anna Benedict, “CROWSONG”
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Prize Name: The Anne Williams Burrus Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: Mrs. Ann W. Burrus
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Prize Name: Noel Callow Poetry Award
Founded: 1963
Donor: Anonymous
2021 Prizewinner: Megan Gower, “Pygmalion”
North Carolina State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: North Carolina State University
2021 Prizewinner: Clayton Walker, “father as ball and chain”
Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
2021 Prizewinner: Carrie George, “There's a secret room inside you. Furnish it as you please.”
Northwestern University
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2021 Prizewinner: Lennart Nielsen, “Climbing”
Northwest Indian College
Prize Name: The Betty and Norman Lockwood Poetry Prize
Founded: 2012
Donor: James Harder
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Ohio State University
Prize Name: Arthur Rense Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Ms. Paige Rense
2021 Prizewinner: Alyssa Froehling, “Aledo, Illinois, June”
Oklahoma State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1978
Donor: Oklahoma State University
2021 Prizewinner: Remi Recchia, “The Ostriches Bathe in Tulsa”
Old Dominion University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Gabriela Igloria, “Dreamscape with Winter, Ghost” (undergraduate) and Courtney Tala, “Etymology of Your Name” (graduate)
Oregon State University
Prize Name: Weaver Undergraduate Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Oregon State University
2021 Prizewinner: Macey Lorayne Richert, “Aphrodite’s Lament”
Pace University
Prize Name: David A. Bickimer—Promise of Learnings Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: The Promise of Learnings Inc.
2021 Prizewinner: Leif Tystad, “Alzheimer Ornaments”
Pennsylvania State Harrisburg
Prize Name: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: Nabin Adhikari, “Dance to the Music of Justice”
Pennsylvania State University
Prize Name: Leonard Steinberg Memorial Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mrs. Pearl Steinberg
2021 Prizewinner: Anushka Shah, “Mummy decides to go silver at fifty”
University of Pennsylvania
Prize Name: William Carlos Williams Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: University of Pennsylvania
2021 Prizewinner: Mir Elias, “THESE STRANGE AND BEAUTIOUS TIMES: A GHAZAL”
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
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Pittsburgh
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2021 Co-prizewinners: Megan Williams, “I mother” (undergraduate) and Amanda Tien, “90740” (graduate)
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Prize Name: The Colleen M. Brown Prize
Founded: 2012
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: Mattie Updyke, “Angry Tap”
Portland State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: The Portland State University Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Charity Yoro, “origin story”
Pratt Institute
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1992
Donor: Pratt Institute
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Princeton University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Drs. William F. and Jerene Hewitt
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Purdue University
Prize Name: The Thomas H. Scholl and Elizabeth Boyd Thompson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas H. Scholl
2021 Prizewinner: Katie McMorris, “How to Love Someone at the Bottom of the Ocean”
Randolph College
Prize Name: Charles and Fanny Fay Wood Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Dana Trupa, “Ode to Wanda’s Apron” and Evan Pausic, “Towards My Friend, the Moon”
University of Redlands
Prize Name: Jean Burden Award
Founded: 1984
Donor: Ms. Virginia Everett Smith
2021 Prizewinner: Ella Staats, “sundays when god has abandoned us”
Reed College
Prize Name: The Mary Barnard Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Reed College
2021 Prizewinner: Emma McNeel, “For a brother”
University of Richmond
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2021 Prizewinner: Reda Ansar, “Civilization”
Rice University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Joyce Pounds Hardy
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Rochester
Prize Name: Marion Devendorf Van Laak Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Rochester
2021 Prizewinner: Apollo Deal, “Tryst”
Rockford University
Prize Name: Colleen Holmbeck Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: Rockford University
2021 Prizewinner: Aavyn Lee, “In Admiration of the Moon”
Rollins College
Prize Name: Arden Goettling / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Family & Friends of Arden Goettling
2021 Prizewinners: Nicole Rago, “Theodore”
Rutgers University
Prize Name: Enid Dame Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Jeanne Marie Beaumont
2021 Prizewinner: Mary Turkot, “Brigantine, New Jersey”
St. John’s University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas McInerney
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
St. Lawrence University
Prize Name: James Ligon Price III Memorial Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1975
Donor: St. Lawrence University
2021 Prizewinner: Marly Davies, “My party hat broke”
Saint Mary’s College of California
Prize Name: Russell & Yvonne Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Sam Houston State University
Prize Name: The William C. Weathers Memorial Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Ms. Melissa Morphew
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Savannah Burrus, “Asleep at a Wake” (undergraduate) and Jeremy Gentry, “Degeneration” (graduate)
San Francisco State University (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Piri Thomas Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donors: Friends and Family of Piri Thomas
2021 Prizewinner: Adriana Hernandez, “Maybe We’ll Both Live Again”
San Francisco State University (graduate)
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1996
Donors: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Carlos Quinteros III, “Dreams”
University of San Francisco
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: University of San Francisco
2021 Prizewinner: Monique Reyes, “Eating Cherries”
San Jose State University
Prize Name: Virginia de Araujo Prize
Founded: 1981
Donor: Virginia de Araujo Trust
2021 Prizewinner: Khải Đơn, "My Sinking Town"
Santa Clara University
Prize Name: Tamara Verga Poetry Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Victoria Verga Logan and Frank Verga, Jr.
2021 Prizewinner: Jaden Fong, “There will come a day when the deer trails will be my trails, until they will not be anymore”
Sarah Lawrence College (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Maddie Aldecoa, “I am your wife”
Sarah Lawrence College (graduate)
Prize Name: The John B. Santoianni Award for Excellence in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Joseph McCrindle and Charmaine Ferenczi
2021 Prizewinner: Maysam Seraji, “A Ghazal Anthem”
Shimer Great Books School at North Central College
Prize Name: Ruth Cooley Poetry Prize
Founded: 1976
Donor: Mr. Peter Cooley
2021 Prizewinner: Julianne Billings, “Love”
Shippensburg University
Prize Name: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
2021 Prizewinner: Ashleigh Kennedy, “Jacob”
Skidmore College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Skidmore College
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Smith College
Prize Name: Anne Bradstreet Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Smith College
2021 Prizewinner: Gael Bemis, “Intake Evaluation”
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Rodney Jones
2021 Prizewinner: Zachary Berndt, “The Field Cricket”
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: Carolyn Forman Moe
2021 Prizewinner: Ash Durrance, “Affair”
Spelman College
Prize Name: Edith A. Hambie Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Anonymous
2021 Prizewinner: Jasmine Tabor, “the altar mirror”
Spring Hill College
Prize Name: Reverend Andrew C. Smith, S.J., Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Olivia McNorton, “Toilet Bowl Tapestry”
Stetson University
Prize Name: The Holly M. Kimball Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. Phillip Blumberg
2021 Prizewinners: Stephanie Hanson, “This is Not Goodbye”
SUNY Albany
Prize Name: Phyllis Hurd Liston Poetry Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: The Liston Family
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
SUNY Binghamton
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: SUNY Binghamton
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Hannah Nathanson, “Tough Girl” (undergraduate) and Cole Depuy, “Clot” (graduate)
SUNY Buffalo - Graduate
Prize Name: Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Mr. Dan Liberthson
2021 Prizewinner: Callie Ingram, “ch 19”
SUNY Buffalo - Undergraduate
Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: SUNY Buffalo
2021 Prizewinner: Dana Venerable, “...and my emotions dance their way into the gutter, let them clog with leafy rain…”
SUNY Farmingdale
Prize Name: Raynor Wallace Poetry Award
Founded: 1988
Donor: SUNY Farmingdale
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
SUNY Oswego
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. John W. Mincher, Jr.
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Sweet Briar College
Prize Name: The Jean Taylor Meyer Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Temple University
Prize Name: Albert J. Caplan Prize
Founded: 1985
Donor: Mr. Albert J. Caplan
2021 Prizewinner: Beatrix Liv Delcarmen, “Ekphrasis at the Foot of Kara Walker's Fountain”
University of Texas at Austin
Prize Name: Andrew Julius Gutow Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Andrew Julius Gutow Memorial Fund
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Lou Garcia-Dolnik, “No language for white man” (undergraduate) and Ryan Paradiso, “happy birthday” (graduate)
Trinity College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Trinity College
2021 Prizewinner: Julianne Freeman, “Chapel Bells”
Tufts University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Tufts University
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Tulane University
Prize Name: Anselle M. Larson / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Mr. Herbert V. Larson, Jr.
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
United States Naval Academy
Prize Name: Stuart Pitt Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Mrs. A. Stuart Pitt
2021 Prizewinner: Maddie Torrez, “exploration”
University of Utah
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: University of Utah
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Valdosta State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Mr. Edward Davin Vickers
2021 Prizewinner: Roshni Patel, “Navratri Nights”
Valparaiso University
Prize Name: Vivian S. Richards Memorial Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker
2021 Prizewinner: Grace Biermann, “Card Players’ Sestina”
Vanderbilt University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Vanderbilt University
2021 Prizewinner: Maria Isabelle Carlos, “ELEGIZING”
Vassar College
Prize Name: Mary Rousmaniere Gordon Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Mr. Albert H. Gordon
2021 Prizewinner: Molly Manafo, “Lessons in Atomic Theory”
University of Virginia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Henry Hoyns Bequest, Charles Wright
2021 Prizewinner: Michelle Gottschlich, “Different Words for Sleep”
Virginia Commonwealth University
Prize Name: Catherine and Joan Byrne Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Nan Byrne
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Colin Bailes, “Rooted” and Michelle Goshen, “Pangea”
Virginia Tech
Prize name: Virginia Tech / Poetry Society of Virginia Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2021 Prizewinner: Bessie Flores Zaldívar, “I’m Twice as Old as I was When My Country Drowned Me”
Washington College
Prize Name: The Jude and Miriam Pfister Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Dr. & Mrs. Jude Pfister
2021 Prizewinner: Nicole Hatfield, “Principle 2: Catch & Store Energy”
Washington & Lee University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Anonymous
2021 Prizewinner: Isabel Ryan, “A Vietnamese Grandmother and Her Americanized Granddaughter Meet in the Middle of a Blank Page”
Washington University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Washington University
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Haley Harris, “2376 Ganesha Avenue” (undergraduate) and Kelan Nee, “Irrigation” (graduate)
University of Washington
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Indigo Purdy, “Bear Lake Leeches and Ear Infections” (undergraduate) and Anna Ciummo, “Hourglasses” (graduate)
Wayne State University
Prize Name: John Clare Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker
2021 Prizewinner: Grey Snyder, “A Prayer for Homophobes” (undergraduate) and Melinda Baker, “LAST SUMMER DURING A PANDEMIC” (graduate)
Wellesley College
Prize Name: Nevin Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The Family of Betty Nevin Marshall & Robert Nevin
2021 Prizewinner: Angela Zhao, “The Stamp Collectors”
Wells College
Prize Name: Catharine B. De Pau Poetry Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2021 Prizewinner: Ryley T. O’Brien, “Afternoon: Occupation of the Living”
Wesleyan College
Prize Name: George Warren Gignilliat, Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Wesleyan University
Prize Name: Sarah Hannah Memorial Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Kate Bernheimer
2021 Prizewinners: Nicole Adabunu, "won't you celebrate with me"
Westminster College
Prize Name: Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: Westminster College
2021 Prizewinner: Dylan Richmond, “Bisexuality”
College of William & Mary
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
2021 Prizewinner: Shade, “Disproportionate"
Williams College
Prize Name: Bullock Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Academy of American Poets
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Wilson College
Prize Name: The William and Ivy Saylor Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: Jacob Slifka, “Rhetoric and the Reeducated”
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Prize Name: George B. Hill Poetry Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Kevin P. Bjerregaard
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
College of Wooster
Prize Name: Cora Owlett Latzer Award
Founded: 1983
Donor: Ms. Susan Donnell
2021 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Yale University
Prize Name: Sean T. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2021 Prizewinner: Lucy Silbaugh, “Twin”
Yonsei University / Underwood International College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Yonsei University
2021 Co-Prizewinners: Sarang Lee, “reel” and Ye Eun Lee, “Sandglass”
York College of Pennsylvania
Prize Name: Mary Jane’s Diamond Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2021 Prizewinner: Grace Duncan, “roger”
Materials for Coordinators Download PDF
Contact Information For more information, please contact:
Nikay Paredes
Programs Director
[email protected]
(212) 274-0343 x 13
Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901
New York, NY 10038
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