University & College Poetry Prizes

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."

History

Many of our most esteemed poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets College Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Alice Fulton, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Allen Grossman, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Brad Leithauser, J. D. McClatchy, Heather McHugh, Gregory Orr, Robert Pinsky, Sylvia Plath, Mark Rudman, Mary Jo Salter, Gjertrud Schnackenberg, George Starbuck, Mark Strand, Ocean Vuong, and Charles Wright. 

Establishing a Prize

The majority of the active University and College Poetry Prizes are endowed in perpetuity.

New U.S. schools are admitted into the program only with a $5,000 endowment contribution, which allows a cash prize of $100 to be awarded each year in perpetuity, enables the Academy of American Poets to provide a year-long membership to the winning student, and assists with the administrative costs of the program. We encourage anyone wishing to endow a college prize to contact the Awards Coordinator before selecting a school. We want to ensure the school's ability to annually award the prize. Additionally, some of our oldest prizes do not yet have endowments, and we would very much like to see them secured.

A prize may be named by the donor or donors, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Donors receive copies of their schools' winning poems each year, as well as a lifetime subscription to American Poets, the Academy's biannual journal. 

Prize Eligibility

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.

Contest Procedures

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.

Past Winners

2021 University & College Poetry Prizes
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
2022 Prizewinner: Cindy Nguyen, “Where Are You From”

University of Alabama
Prize Name: Hill-Kohn Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: University of Alabama
2022 Prizewinner: james mckenna, “Long”

Amherst College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1959
Donor: Trustees of Amherst College
2022 Prizewinner: Leandro Arcos Román, “Desierto florido”

Aquinas College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Mrs. Linda Nemec Foster
2022 Prizewinner: Grace DeLong, “Someday a Poem Will Come”

Arizona State University 
Prize Name: Katharine C. Turner Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Katharine C. Turner
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Arizona 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of Arizona
2022 Prizewinner: Geramee Hensley, “The Last Dance”

University of Arkansas
Prize Name: C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Geffrey Davis
2022 Prizewinner: Vasantha Sambamurti, “Believe Me”

Auburn University 
Prize Name: Robert Hughes Mount Jr. Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2022 Prizewinner: Barbara Yauss, “Light Pollution”

Augsburg University 
Prize Name: John R. Mitchell Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mrs. Jeanette Mitchell
2022 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
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Baylor University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Beall Poetry Festival
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Beloit College 
Prize Name: Beloit Poetry Journal Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Ms. Marion Stocking
2022 Prizewinner: Qin Qin, “ode to Chella Man and Leo Sheng”

Bennington College
Prize Name: The Green Prize for Poetry
Founded: 2006
Donor: Kelly Green & Forrest MacGregor
2022 Prizewinner: Hannah Bardhi, “Vol. 42, No. 8”

Bergen Community College 
Prize Name: The Steven W. Chung Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Steven W. Chung
2022 Prizewinner: Amma Aning, “End of August”

Boston University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: Boston University Creative Writing Program
2022 Prizewinner: Christianne Goodwin, “One Night Only!”

Bowdoin College 
Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Colette Inez Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mr. Jack Miller
2022 Prizewinner: Bobby Murray, “Love, and You”

Bradley University 
Prize Name: Sipple Poetry Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Bradley University
2022 Prizewinner: Kristyn Stallings, “involuntary musical imagery”

Brandeis University 
Prize Name: The Ramon Feliciano Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Marian McDonald
2022 Prizewinner: Lily Darling, “skinny dipping in mid-june, there are nightfishers on the beach”

Brigham Young University 
Prize Name: Ethel Lowry Handley Poetry Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Ethel Lowry Handley
2022 Prizewinner: Rebecca Billings, “Owl Feathers”

Brooklyn College, CUNY 
Prize Name: Burton A. Goldberg Poetry Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Burton Goldberg
2022 Prizewinner: v ritchie, “like father, like daughter”

Brown University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Leander McCormick-Goodhart
2022 Prizewinner: Danielle Emerson, “shíma yazhí ahéheeʼ / thank you, auntie.”

Bryn Mawr College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Marie Bullock
Founded: 1957
Donor: Mrs. Peter McCormick
2022 Prizewinner: Kate English, “When a Church Loses a Pastor” 

California State University, Fresno (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: The Friends of Larry Levis
2022 Prizewinner: Phoua Lee, “Scavenger Hunt Where We See Our Ghosts and Run Toward Them”

California State University, Fresno (graduate) 
Prize Name: Ernesto Trejo Memorial Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: The Friends of Ernesto Trejo
2022 Prizewinner: Hermelinda Hernandez, “The Bleeding Love of a Water-Ghost”

California State University, Los Angeles 
Prize Name: Henri Coulette Memorial Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: California State University, Los Angeles
2022 Prizewinner: K.E. Ogden, “Mapping the Route”

California State University, Northridge 
Prize Name: George Dillon Memorial Award
Founded: 1968
Donor: California State University, Northridge
2022 Prizewinner: Valentine Gonzales, “Small Hands and Loud Cries”

University of California, Berkeley 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Chelsea Muir, "To Juliette"

University of California, Davis 
Prize Name: Celeste Turner Wright Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Prof. Celeste Turner Wright
2022 Prizewinner: Bailey Harrison, “‘member that tulsa twilight”

University of California, Irvine 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: Mr. Walter J. Thomson
2022 Prizewinner: Marissa Ahmadkhani, “Major Depressive Disorder (Recurrent)”

University of California, Los Angeles
Prize Name: Fred and Edith Herman Memorial Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Ms. Joan LaBombard
2022 Prizewinner: Rachel Kaufman, “TRANSLATION”

California Polytechnic State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: California Polytechnic State University
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Calvin College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Calvin College
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Carnegie Mellon University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1977
Donor: Carnegie Mellon University
2022 Prizewinner: Cynthia Xu, “tombe”

Central Michigan University
Prize Name: Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Phillip Sterling
2022 Prizewinner: Sara Daniels, “Train Station”

Central Pennsylvania College 
Prize Name: Geraldine G. Britcher Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Centre College 
Prize Name: Paul Cantrell Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Phillip Sterling
2022 Prizewinner: Avery Dietz, “Adieu to City Lights”

Chatham University
Prize Name: The Laurie Mansell Reich Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laurie and Henry Reich
2022 Prizewinner: Amber Beck, “He Says He Loves Us”

University of Cincinnati (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Casey Harloe, “When I Close My Eyes I Think Of”

University of Cincinnati (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Sean Cho A., “New Memory #1”

The City College of San Francisco 
Prize Name: The Felicia Farr Lemon Poetry Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: Mrs. Felicia Farr Lemmon
2022 Prizewinner: Astrid Ho Yan Liu, “Flossie’s Reply”

Cleveland State University 
Prize Name: Alberta Turner Poetry Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Cleveland State University
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Colorado State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Colorado State University Faculty & Administration
2022 Prizewinner: Annmarie Delfino , “driftbody at the koi pond”

Columbia College Chicago 
Prize Name: Eileen Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Noah Zanella (graduate), “my urge to speak is my childish gawking is my clinging to the visible is my trying to be here” and Madison ("Mole") Hart (undergraduate), “Elegy of Cat 1 and 2: Stubby Girl, Baby Boy”

Columbia University (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Anonymous
2022 Prizewinner: Christiana Drevets, "On Loving Something Hopeless"

Columbia University (graduate) 
Prize Name: Bennett Poetry Prize
Founded: 1959
Donor: The New York Times Advertising Department
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Connecticut College 
Prize Name: Charles B. Palmer Poetry Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: Connecticut College
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Cooper Union 
Prize Name: Elizabeth Kray Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Cooper Union
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

Cornell College 
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Clyde and Jewell Bothwell Tull
Founded: 1990
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2022 Prizewinner: Violet Horsman, “A R S    P O E T I C A”

Cornell University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Litowitz Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Creighton University 
Prize Name: Oscar M. Macelliao Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Sarah Sommers, “Pietà”

Dartmouth College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Dartmouth College
2022 Prizewinner: Eliza Dunn, “Excavation”

Davidson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Elizabeth Wade
2022 Prizewinner: Khôi Nguyên Trinh, “Judas Regrets His Betrayal”

University of Delaware 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Ave Haynes, “Ode to Reynier Leyva Nova”

University of Denver 
Prize Name: Edward M. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Dickinson College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Dickinson College
2022 Prizewinner: Estefany Valera, “Ode to My Shadow”

Drew University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Susan Vartanian Barba
2022 Prizewinner: Riya Soyantar, “Her Kind”

Duke University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Biddle Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Marina Jinghang Chen, “where??”

Elizabethtown College
Prize Name: The Raymond and Mausolene Stouffer Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Emerson College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Emerson College
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Richard Haney-Jardine (graduate), “Bury the Old Man with His Hearing Aids” and Ella Q. Peavler (undergraduate), “Cover”

Emory University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The Friends of Creative Writing
2022 Prizewinner: Cynthia Salinas Cappellano, “Colibri”

Florida International University 
Prize Name: Christopher F. Kelly Award for Poetry
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. John Bond
2022 Prizewinner: Rani Ruado, “Immolation”

Florida State University (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: John MacKay Shaw Award
Founded: 1984
Donor: Florida State University
2022 Prizewinner: M. Avery Robinson, “Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson Turns a Suplex Into a Flying Armbar”

Florida State University (graduate) 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: Florida State University
2022 Prizewinner: Tanner Barnes, “Eating Popcorn in My Underwear I Realize I Love You”

Fordham University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Fordham University
2022 Prizewinner: Hannah Rivera, “Necropolis”

Franklin & Marshall College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. C. Hunter Boll
2022 Prizewinner: Seyla Velez, “To The Things That Raised Me”

George Mason University 
Prize Name: The Joseph A. Lohman III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Judith V. Lelchook
2022 Prizewinner: Susan Muth, “Good Daughter Sestina”

George Washington University 
Prize Name: A. E. Claeyssens, Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: George Washington University
2022 Prizewinner: John Lowrance, “Untitled”

Georgetown University 
Prize Name: Ora Mary Pelham Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinners: Rachel Thomas, “Living Room Sestina”

Georgia College
Prize Name: Frankye Davis Mayes Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Avery K. James (graduate), “Transubstantiation in Underground Atlanta” and Regan Jones (undergraduate), “Saltwater”

Georgia State University
Prize Name: The Robert V. Morea III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2018
Donor: Dr. Katherine Kincer
Winner: Scarlett Peterson, “Pecha Kucha of uncategorized memories”

Gettysburg College 
Prize Name: Marion Zulauf Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Sander Zulauf
2022 Prizewinner: Natalie Dolan, “The Last Birthday”

Grinnell College 
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Lorabel Richardson
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2022 Prizewinner: Ari Dworkin-Cantor, “Generational Migration”

Hamilton College 
Prize Name: Ralph and Doris Hansmann Poetry Prize
Founded: 1962
Donor: Hamilton College
2022 Prizewinner: Madison Lazenby, “Reconstruction 11”

Harrisburg Area Community College 
Prize Name: Dale T. Guhl Memorial Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Hartwick College 
Prize Name: Anna Sonder Prize
Founder: 1979
Donor: Dr. Otto Sonder
2022 Prizewinner: Sofia Escobar, “Rejecting Copper”

Harvard University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Harvard University
2022 Prizewinner: Dagmawit Adamu , “Predator”

University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Kalilinoe Detwiler, “Face down in the sand”

Hofstra University 
Prize Name: Nancy P. Schnader Award
Founded: 1974
Donor: Hofstra University
2022 Prizewinner: Roddyna Saint-Paul, “Close Call”

University of Houston 
Prize Name: Brazos Bookstore/ Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. Karl Kilian
2022 Prizewinner: Ashley Warner, “odysseus and athena”

Hollins University 
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1971
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2022 Prizewinner: G.H. Plaag, “A Cigarette After Work”

College of the Holy Cross
Prize Name: Dominick Lepore Poetry Award
Founded: 1992
Donor: Dominick J. Lepore
2022 Prizewinner: Emanuel K Parker , “Heavy Boots Brought Me to the Jazz Club”

Hope College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Hope College
2022 Prizewinner: Fara Ling Shu Sean, “Best of Everything”

Hunter College 
Prize Name: Catalina Páez & Seumas MacManus Award
Founded: 1987
Donor: Miss Patricia MacManus, Mrs. Mariquita M. Mullan
2022 Prizewinner: Sarah Decker, “At the Natatorium”

University of Idaho
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett
2022 Prizewinner: Crystal Cox, “Self-Portrait with Dolly Parton”

Illinois College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Deborah Klang Smith
2022 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
2022 Prizewinner: Farah Bassyouni, “Betghazalny?”

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
Prize Name: Ruth Llewellyn Baird Prize
Founded: 1966
Donor: Mrs. Robert D. Wood
2022 Prizewinner: Casey Daly, “Undoing the Weekend”

Indiana University Bloomington
Prize Name: The Vera Meyer Strube Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2022 Prizewinner: Rose Zinnia, “Skeleton Gender Reveal Party (Nonbinary)”

Indiana State University 
Prize Name: The Madeline DeGaetano Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1996
Donor: Dr. Elaine L. Kleiner
2022 Prizewinner: Janaleigh "Jay" Muszynsky, “The Joker”

Institute of American Indian Arts
Prize Name: The Betty and Norman Lockwood Poetry Prize
Founded: 2012
Donor: James Harder
2022 Prizewinner: david john baer mcnicholas, “Flatbed”

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

Johns Hopkins University
Prize Name: The Laureen Rita Schipsi Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Mr. Thomas Newton Bolling
2022 Prizewinner: Vivian Sun, “Baby”

Kenyon College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Kenyon College
2022 Prizewinner: Stephanie Chang, “Nocturne for Our Lady of Flowers”

Keystone College 
Prize Name: Edward M. Cameron IV Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Lafayette College 
Prize Name: Jean E. Corrie Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2022 Prizewinner: Alex Thurtle, “Curse of a Realist”

Lewis & Clark College 
Prize Name: Vern Rutsala Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Lewis & Clark College
2022 Prizewinner: Sheyla Dorantes Sanchez, “My Recent Search History:”

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus 
Prize Name: John & Agnes McCarten Memorial Award
Founded: 1967
Donor: Ms. Jeanne Marie Scott
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Loyola University Maryland 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Loyola University Maryland
2022 Prizewinner: Alexandra "Allie" Lijewski, “Ludmila”

Loyola University of Chicago
Prize Name: Dr. Frank C. Lawler Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 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
2022 Prizewinner: Maliyah Harris, “American Song for Peaceful Black Existence”

Macalester College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Macalester College
2022 Prizewinner: Ngoc Pham, “Ode to Being Vietnamese on Bad Days”

Marietta College
Prize Name: The Stephen Schwartz Prize in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laura Baudo Sillerman
2022 Prizewinner: Nina Hahn , “Hey, Dad,”

University of Maryland, College Park
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Anaïs Nin
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. Robert W. Newcomb
2022 Prizewinner: Connor Watkins-Xu, “Missing You”

University of Mary Washington
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2022 Prizewinner: Aliza Haskal, “Birthday”

University of Massachusetts, Amherst 
Prize Name: Joseph Langland Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2022 Prizewinner: Mark Kyungsoo Bias, “Poem Without Water”

University of Massachusetts, Boston 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Katee Irene Fletcher, “August's Morning Breath”

University of Memphis 
Prize Name: The Deborah L. Talbot Poetry Award
Founded: 2002
Donor: Deborah L. Talbot
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Messiah University
Prize Name: Carrie A. Guhl Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: Abby Smoker, “gold-washed sky”

Miami-Dade College 
Prize Name: Fred Shaw Poetry Prize
Founded: 1973
Donor: Kathleen Welton
2022 Prizewinner: Lea Rabaron, “Haunted”

Miami University (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: Harris S. Abrahams Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams
2022 Prizewinner: Elizabeth Brueggemann, “coming home, home coming”

Miami University (graduate) 
Prize Name: Betty Jane Abrahams Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams
2022 Prizewinner: Isabella Gross, “Metamorphosis”

University of Miami 
Prize Name: Alfred Boas Poetry Prize
Founded: 1993
Donor: University of Miami
2022 Prizewinner: Jarrett Moseley, “In This Strange Light”

Millersville University
Prize Name: Louis Darrell Sage Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Michigan (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley
2022 Prizewinner: Alejandro Derieux-Cerezo, “Cabela's Commercial Disguised as a List of Things Better Left Unsaid” 

University of Michigan (graduate) 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley
2022 Prizewinner: David Villaverde, “Ori”

University of Minnesota 
Prize Name: James Wright Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: University of Minnesota
2022 Prizewinner: L.M. Elis, “Processional”

Mississippi State University
Prize Name: Joy Taylor Rieves Poetry Prize
Founded: 2021
Donor: Mississippi State University
2022 Prizewinner: Maeve Rigney, “Angel”

University of Missouri at Columbia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: University of Missouri
2022 Prizewinner: Jacob Griffin Hall, “Hinterland”

University of Montana 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: University of Montana
2022 Prizewinner: Kalani Padilla, “tadasana”

Mount Holyoke College 
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1960
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2022 Prizewinner: Rachael Amoruso, “Home”

Muskingum University 
Prize Name: Beulah Brooks Brown Award in Poetry
Founded: 1993
Donor: Muskingum University
2022 Prizewinner: Matthew Green, “Cosmic Clockwork”

Naropa University
Prize Name: The Margaret Randall Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Friends of Margaret Randall
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

University of Nebraska, Lincoln 
Prize Name: Wilbur Gaffney Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Professor Emeritus Wilbur Gaffney
2022 Prizewinner: Nicole Lachat, “The Crossing”

University of Nebraska, MFA
Prize Name: Helen W. Kenefick Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. John C. Kenefick
2022 Prizewinner: Terry Belew, “Ask the Wind to Blow”

New Jersey City University 
Prize Name: The Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: New Jersey City University
2022 Prizewinner: William Van Sickell, “the gray outFIT.”

University of New Orleans 
Prize Name: Andrea Saunders Gereighty Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Ms. Andrea S. Gereighty
2022 Prizewinner: Nikki Ummel, “Fantasy of Walking My Niece Home”

New Mexico State University
Prize Name: Ruth Scott Poetry Award
Founded: 2005
Donor: Judith N. Scott
2022 Prizewinner: Brita Sauer, “Whiptail”

New York University
Prize Name: Judith Lobel Arkin Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: The Arkin Family
2022 Prizewinner: Julia Cai, “The Color of a Summer Breeze”

University of North Dakota 
Prize Name: The Thomas McGrath Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of North Dakota
2022 Prizewinner: Casey Fuller, “The Sound of Outlaw Sprint Cars” 

University of North Texas
Prize Name: Paul R. Voertman Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: University of North Texas
2022 Prizewinner: Minadora Macheret, “Remembering the End of the World”

University of Notre Dame
Prize Name: The Billy Maich Award
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Jessica Maich
2022 Prizewinner: Agnes Hanying Ong, “Basset-Sagged Beast”

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
Prize Name: The Anne Williams Burrus Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: Mrs. Ann W. Burrus
2022 Prizewinner: Diepreye Amanah , “May I Not Return the Same Way I Came”

University of North Carolina at Greensboro 
Prize Name: Noel Callow Poetry Award
Founded: 1963
Donor: Anonymous
2022 Prizewinner: Dom Witten, “Broken Showerhead”

North Carolina State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: North Carolina State University
2022 Prizewinner: Alexander Duringer, “My Father Delivered Pizzas in Buffalo”

Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Northwestern University 
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2022 Prizewinner: Noah Rabinovitch , “Letters to Florida Man”

Ohio State University 
Prize Name: Arthur Rense Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Ms. Paige Rense
2022 Prizewinner: Polley Poer, “The Hawaiian Sky Teaches Me the Story of Abraham”

Oklahoma State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1978
Donor: Oklahoma State University
2022 Prizewinner: Roseanna Alice Boswell, “A Child Is a Kind of Death”

Old Dominion University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Desiree Santana (undergraduate), “Let’s Go Down,” and M. G. Moscato (graduate), “A Brief History of Time in Left Field”

Oregon State University 
Prize Name: Weaver Undergraduate Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Oregon State University
2022 Prizewinner: Gabe Reitzes, “Burial”

Pace University 
Prize Name: David A. Bickimer—Promise of Learnings Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: The Promise of Learnings Inc.
2022 Prizewinner: Cailyn Mickelsen, “1 (800) 872-4339”

Pennsylvania State Harrisburg
Prize Name: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: Alain Izabayo, “A Bicycle Complaining About its Underusage”

Pennsylvania State University 
Prize Name: Leonard Steinberg Memorial Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mrs. Pearl Steinberg
2022 Prizewinner: Anushka Shah, “Portrait of my Mumma”

University of Pennsylvania 
Prize Name: William Carlos Williams Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: University of Pennsylvania
2022 Prizewinner: Knar Gavin, “After Meriye B. Ouzounian” 

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
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

University of Pittsburgh 
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Johanna Colaizzi (undergraduate), “Visitation,” and Isaac Knapp (graduate), “The Young Archaeologists”

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Prize Name: The Colleen M. Brown Prize
Founded: 2012
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Portland State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: The Portland State University Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Jay Butler, “No Uninfluenced”

Pratt Institute 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1992
Donor: Pratt Institute
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

Princeton University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Drs. William F. and Jerene Hewitt
2022 Prizewinner: Topaz Winters, "It's Not That I'm Angry"

Purdue University
Prize Name: The Thomas H. Scholl and Elizabeth Boyd Thompson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas H. Scholl
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Randolph College 
Prize Name: Charles and Fanny Fay Wood Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
2022 Co-Prizewinners: Kaleigh Johnson (undergraduate), “Rose Mart, Summer 2021” and Onyew Kim (graduate), “Stinky Feet, Yellow Teeth”

University of Redlands 
Prize Name: Jean Burden Award
Founded: 1984
Donor: Ms. Virginia Everett Smith
2022 Prizewinner: Katie Grierson, “When My Best Friend's First Love Slips Into a Coma, We Sit on Opposite Sides of the Bed Quietly”

Reed College 
Prize Name: The Mary Barnard Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Reed College
2022 Prizewinner: Hazel Byers, “On Expansion and Descent”

University of Richmond
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2022 Prizewinner: Ryan Doherty, “The Amistad”

Rice University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Joyce Pounds Hardy
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

University of Rochester 
Prize Name: Marion Devendorf Van Laak Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Rochester
2022 Prizewinner: London Chastain, “Glue, gurneys, the orchestra”

Rockford University
Prize Name: Colleen Holmbeck Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: Rockford University
2022 Prizewinner: Stephanie Prchal, “To Pythia, It's Been 2,000 Years”

Rollins College 
Prize Name: Arden Goettling / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Family & Friends of Arden Goettling
2022 Prizewinners: No prize awarded

Rutgers University 
Prize Name: Enid Dame Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Jeanne Marie Beaumont
2022 Prizewinner: Sonia Tam , “Reflection of a flower”

St. John’s University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas McInerney
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

St. Lawrence University 
Prize Name: James Ligon Price III Memorial Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1975
Donor: St. Lawrence University
2022 Prizewinner: Alexandra Hill, “Our Lover Brings Us Flowers.”

Saint Mary’s College of California 
Prize Name: Russell & Yvonne Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

Sam Houston State University 
Prize Name: The William C. Weathers Memorial Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Ms. Melissa Morphew
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

San Francisco State University (undergraduate) 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Piri Thomas Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donors: Friends and Family of Piri Thomas
2022 Prizewinner: Albert Lee Feaster, “YOUR BODY IS A PRISON UNTIL YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE”

San Francisco State University (graduate) 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1996
Donors: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Quinn Rennerfeldt, “get angry there is no field”

University of San Francisco
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: University of San Francisco
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

San Jose State University 
Prize Name: Virginia de Araujo Prize
Founded: 1981
Donor: Virginia de Araujo Trust
2022 Prizewinner: Khải Đơn, “Interrogation at a Nail Salon”

Santa Clara University
Prize Name: Tamara Verga Poetry Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Victoria Verga Logan and Frank Verga, Jr.
2022 Prizewinner: Jaden Fong, “Elegy for a Found Animal Skull”

Sarah Lawrence College (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Jane Scheiber, “Red”

Sarah Lawrence College (graduate)
Prize Name: The John B. Santoianni Award for Excellence in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Joseph McCrindle and Charmaine Ferenczi
2022 Prizewinner: Anya Maria Johnson, “Our Hysterical Country”

Shimer Great Books School at North Central College 
Prize Name: Ruth Cooley Poetry Prize
Founded: 1976
Donor: Mr. Peter Cooley
2022 Prizewinner: Molly Fisher, “my stream of consciousness fails the bechdel test.”

Shippensburg University
Prize Name: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
2022 Prizewinner: Ashleigh Kennedy, “self-portrait as the local legend”

Skidmore College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Skidmore College
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Smith College 
Prize Name: Anne Bradstreet Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Smith College
2022 Prizewinner: Adrie Rose, “Flare”

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Rodney Jones
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: Carolyn Forman Moe
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Spelman College
Prize Name: Edith A. Hambie Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Anonymous
2022 Prizewinner: Jordan Barrant, “Alpine Swing”

Spring Hill College 
Prize Name: Reverend Andrew C. Smith, S.J., Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Taleigh Reed, “The Wilds of the Unknown”

Stetson University 
Prize Name: The Holly M. Kimball Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. Phillip Blumberg
2022 Prizewinners: Xanthippe Pack-Brown, “Debt to be Paid”

SUNY Albany 
Prize Name: Phyllis Hurd Liston Poetry Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: The Liston Family
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

SUNY Binghamton 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: SUNY Binghamton
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

SUNY Buffalo - Graduate
Prize Name: Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Mr. Dan Liberthson
2022 Prizewinner: Spencer Williams, “friendship, or i want to be where my men are”

SUNY Buffalo - Undergraduate
Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: SUNY Buffalo
2022 Prizewinner: Katie Naughton, “walks without money: walks at home”

SUNY Farmingdale
Prize Name: Raynor Wallace Poetry Award
Founded: 1988
Donor: SUNY Farmingdale
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

SUNY Oswego 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. John W. Mincher, Jr.
2022 Prizewinner: Alexis Santos, “Where Esmerelda Sings”

Swarthmore College
Prize Name: Nathalie F. Anderson Prize
Founded: 2021
Donor: Alumni of Swarthmore College
2022 Prizewinner: Anoushka Subbaiah, “Nuptial Flight”

Sweet Briar College 
Prize Name: The Jean Taylor Meyer Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2022 Prizewinner: Elisabeth Otocka, “To Every Girl I Couldn't Love Enough”

Temple University 
Prize Name: Albert J. Caplan Prize
Founded: 1985
Donor: Mr. Albert J. Caplan
2022 Prizewinner: Julia Yong LaFrance, “Manuscript in Blue”

University of Texas at Austin 
Prize Name: Andrew Julius Gutow Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Andrew Julius Gutow Memorial Fund
2022 Prizewinner: Rob Colgate, “Like Candy”

Trinity College 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Trinity College
2022 Prizewinner: Caroline M. Richards, “The Cheetah”

Tufts University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Tufts University
2022 Prizewinner: Adam Judah Krasnoff, “On October Rains” 

Tulane University 
Prize Name: Anselle M. Larson / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Mr. Herbert V. Larson, Jr.
2022 Prizewinner: Kyra McAllister, “The Boys' Secret” 

United States Naval Academy 
Prize Name: Stuart Pitt Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Mrs. A. Stuart Pitt
2022 Prizewinner: Irene Tyler, “Chekhov's Gun”

University of Utah 
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: University of Utah
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded 

Valdosta State University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Mr. Edward Davin Vickers
2022 Prizewinner: Lydia Yawn, “Primavera”

Valparaiso University 
Prize Name: Vivian S. Richards Memorial Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker
2022 Prizewinner: Cori Laatsch, “Loneliness…”

Vanderbilt University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Vanderbilt University
2022 Prizewinner: Caroline Stevens, “Bordered”

Vassar College 
Prize Name: Mary Rousmaniere Gordon Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Mr. Albert H. Gordon
2022 Prizewinner: Clae Rountree, “An O”

University of Virginia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Henry Hoyns Bequest, Charles Wright
2022 Prizewinner: Kyle Marbut, “from Black Swan Theory”

Virginia Commonwealth University 
Prize Name: Catherine and Joan Byrne Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Nan Byrne
2022 Prizewinner: Danielle Kotrla, “Cyanometer”

Virginia Tech
Prize name: Virginia Tech / Poetry Society of Virginia Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2022 Prizewinner: Amanda Hodes, “Women Making a Scene”

Washington College 
Prize Name: The Jude and Miriam Pfister Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Dr. & Mrs. Jude Pfister
2022 Prizewinner: Isabelle Anderson, “the last tinder date, below ground (2021)”

Washington & Lee University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Anonymous
2022 Prizewinner: Anna Hurst, “Reflections”

Washington University 
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Washington University
2022 Prizewinner: Jack H Grimes, “Separately, I am”

University of Washington 
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Kathryn Hargett-Hsu, “Dark Peak”

Wayne State University 
Prize Name: John Clare Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. & Mrs. Nancy & Michael Becker
2022 Prizewinner: Zora Engalan, “Manila Sunrise”

Wellesley College 
Prize Name: Nevin Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The Family of Betty Nevin Marshall & Robert Nevin
2022 Prizewinner: Annabel Brazaitis, “The Photograph”

Wells College 
Prize Name: Catharine B. De Pau Poetry Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2022 Prizewinner: BrierMae K Ossont, “This Is My Moon”

Wesleyan College 
Prize Name: George Warren Gignilliat, Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz
2022 Prizewinner: McKenzie Deshazer, “Wild Flower”

Wesleyan University
Prize Name: Sarah Hannah Memorial Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Kate Bernheimer
2022 Prizewinners: Kevin Le, "Reckoning"

Westminster College
Prize Name: Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: Westminster College
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

College of William & Mary
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
2022 Prizewinner: Jenna Massey, “Spring at the College”

Williams College
Prize Name: Bullock Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Academy of American Poets
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Wilson College
Prize Name: The William and Ivy Saylor Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: Madeline Neway, “Fire Ants on the Peonies”

University of Wisconsin, Madison 
Prize Name: George B. Hill Poetry Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Kevin P. Bjerregaard
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

College of Wooster 
Prize Name: Cora Owlett Latzer Award
Founded: 1983
Donor: Ms. Susan Donnell
2022 Prizewinner: No prize awarded

Yale University 
Prize Name: Sean T. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2022 Prizewinner: Kinsale Drake, “Red Running into Water”

Yonsei University / Underwood International College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Yonsei University
2022 Prizewinner: Latifa Sekarini, “god’s angeleno girlhood and other rites of passage”

York College of Pennsylvania
Prize Name: Mary Jane’s Diamond Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2022 Prizewinner: Kaylee Renfrew, “The Voicemails I Don't Leave You”

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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