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 Academy of American Poets 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.
Contest Procedures
Fall
A faculty member or administrator 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 sends awards 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.
Contact
For inquiries, please email Ry Cook, Senior Programs Manager ([email protected]).
Past Winners
2024 University & College Poetry Prizes
2023 University & College Poetry Prizes
2022 University & College Poetry Prizes
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 Newman Preston Poetry Prize
Founded: 1976
Donor: Agnes Scott College
2025 Prizewinner: Olivia Rosario, “Earlier Hauntings”
University of Alabama
Prize Name: Hill-Kohn Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: University of Alabama
2025 Prizewinner: Lauren Chumbley, “Dear Stella”
Amherst College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1959
Donor: Trustees of Amherst College
2025 Prizewinner: Clara Chiu, “Impact”
Aquinas College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Mrs. Linda Nemec Foster
2025 Prizewinner: Jenna Hoinke, “This Poem Is About Endometriosis”
Arizona State University
Prize Name: Katharine C. Turner Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Katharine C. Turner
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Arizona
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of Arizona
2025 Prizewinner: Rose Paulson, “The Rules”
University of Arkansas
Prize Name: C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Geffrey Davis
2025 Prizewinner: Bria Winfree, “Fig Leaves”
Auburn University
Prize Name: Robert Hughes Mount Jr. Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2025 Prizewinner: Ashby Hendrickson, “After The Hurricane”
Augsburg University
Prize Name: John R. Mitchell Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mrs. Jeanette Mitchell
2025 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
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Baylor University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Beall Poetry Festival
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Beloit College
Prize Name: Beloit Poetry Journal Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Ms. Marion Stocking
2025 Prizewinner: Aurora Clark Page, “Not My Backyard”
Bennington College
Prize Name: The Green Prize for Poetry
Founded: 2006
Donor: Kelly Green and Forrest MacGregor
2025 Prizewinner: Blu Mehari, “Catastrophe Theory”
Bergen Community College
Prize Name: The Steven W. Chung Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Steven W. Chung
2025 Prizewinner: Yerin Jeong, “Sway”
Boston University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: Boston University Creative Writing Program
2025 Prizewinner: Maisie Williams, “Cure”
Bowdoin College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Colette Inez Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mr. Jack Miller
2025 Prizewinner: Ai Lee Woods, “Eurydice Looks Back”
Bradley University
Prize Name: The Kevin Stein Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Kevin Stein
2025 Prizewinner: John M Tangel, “Snowy Days at Winter's End”
Brandeis University
Prize Name: The Ramón Feliciano Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Mariana Mcdonald
2025 Prizewinner: Henry Wicks, “self-exposure”
Brigham Young University
Prize Name: Ethel Lowry Handley Poetry Prize
Founded: 2001
Donor: Ethel Lowry Handley
2025 Prizewinner: Kate Romney Johnson, “Fish”
Brooklyn College, CUNY
Prize Name: Burton A. Goldberg Poetry Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Burton Goldberg
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Brown University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. Leander McCormick-Goodhart
2025 Prizewinner: Lindsey Pannor, “Drove”
Bryn Mawr College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Marie Bullock
Founded: 1957
Donor: Mrs. Peter McCormick
2025 Prizewinner: Clara Vy Wells-Dang, “The Touch”
California State University, Fresno (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: The Friends of Larry Levis
2025 Prizewinner: Dawn Parker, “Arachnophobia”
California State University, Fresno (graduate)
Prize Name: Ernesto Trejo Memorial Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: The Friends of Ernesto Trejo
2025 Prizewinner: Taylor Seals, “reMothering”
California State University, Los Angeles
Prize Name: Henri Coulette Memorial Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: California State University, Los Angeles
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
California State University, Northridge
Prize Name: George Dillon Memorial Award
Founded: 1968
Donor: California State University, Northridge
2025 Prizewinner: Hedia Anvar, “A Soft Collapse”
University of California, Berkeley
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of California, Davis
Prize Name: Celeste Turner Wright Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Prof. Celeste Turner Wright
2025 Prizewinner: Aidan Carr, “Buzzards Bay, August 2010”
University of California, Irvine
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: Mr. Walter J. Thomson
2025 Prizewinner: Jacob Deason, “Suggestion of Disappointment"
University of California, Los Angeles
Prize Name: Fred and Edith Herman Memorial Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Ms. Joan LaBombard
2025 Prizewinner: Alex Bravo, “Posing for a crisis”
California Polytechnic State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: California Polytechnic State University
2025 Prizewinner: Zora Sowinska, “A Visit to Lisamu”
Calvin College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Calvin College
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Carnegie Mellon University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1977
Donor: Carnegie Mellon University
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Central Michigan University
Prize Name: The Eric Torgersen Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Phillip Sterling
2025 Prizewinner: Cailey Calhoun, “After Living out of the Car for Three Days on Vacation”
Central Pennsylvania College
Prize Name: Geraldine G. Britcher Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Centre College
Prize Name: The Cantrell Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Phillip Sterling
2025 Prizewinner: ricky o'neill, “Snow Geese in February”
Chatham University
Prize Name: The Laurie Mansell Reich Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laurie and Henry Reich
2025 Prizewinner: David Brady, “Warp and Weft”
University of Cincinnati
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: The George Elliston Poetry Foundation
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Erin Noehre (graduate), "to temper the pomegranate red inside us," and Lili Alimohammadi (undergraduate), “Triptych in the Shapes of My Name”
The City College of San Francisco
Prize Name: The Felicia Farr Lemon Poetry Prize
Founded: 1982
Donor: Mrs. Felicia Farr Lemmon
2025 Prizewinner: Lucía Reynoso, “spreading brambles”
Cleveland State University
Prize Name: Alberta Turner Poetry Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Cleveland State University
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Colorado State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Colorado State University Faculty and Administration
2025 Prizewinner: Conrad Schaefer, “Arboretum”
Columbia College Chicago
Prize Name: Eileen Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Meghan Olivia Arenz, “Birdwatching”
Columbia University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Anonymous
2025 Prizewinner: Grace Q. Song, “Laundry”
Connecticut College
Prize Name: Charles B. Palmer Poetry Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: Connecticut College
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Cooper Union
Prize Name: Elizabeth Kray Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Cooper Union
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Cornell College
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Clyde & Jewell Bothwell Tull
Founded: 1990
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2025 Prizewinner: Rhye Nelson, “Traveler’s Guide to Stargazing”
Cornell University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Litowitz Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Creighton University
Prize Name: Oscar M. Macelliao Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Lamakū, “Kūlua, or Taro”
Dartmouth College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Dartmouth College
2025 Prizewinner: Lauren Mills, “Affirmations for My Twenty-First Year”
Davidson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2019
Donor: Elizabeth Wade
2025 Prizewinner: Katie Forrestor, “Seeing Her Dress”
University of Delaware
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Riel Saylor, “Disappearing Somewhere Along I-95, On the Road From Delaware to Alabama”
University of Denver
Prize Name: Edward M. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Dickinson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Dickinson College
2025 Prizewinner: Vanessa Abraham, “Ultrasound: My Body in the Yellow Breeches Creek”
Drew University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Susan Vartanian Barba
2025 Prizewinner: Murphy Fonseca, “Answering a Letter from the Past”
Duke University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Biddle Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Tyler King, “Double Theory of the Moon”
Elizabethtown College
Prize Name: The Raymond and Mausolene Stouffer Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Emerson College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Emerson College
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Aubrie Dickson (graduate), "Thirty Acres," and Marin Madden (undergraduate), "burials"
Emory University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The Friends of Creative Writing
2025 Prizewinner: Francis Ittenbach, “In Dreams”
Florida International University
Prize Name: Christopher F. Kelly Award for Poetry
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. John Bond
2025 Prizewinner: Natalia Martinez, “The Other Dead and Splintered Things"
Florida State University (undergraduate)
Prize Name: John MacKay Shaw Award
Donor: Florida State University
2025 Prizewinner: Luciana Callegari, “Poem for Selena, 1997"
Florida State University (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Donor: Florida State University
2025 Prizewinner: Qiang Meng, “Meditation in a College Composition Classroom"
Fordham University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Fordham University
2025 Prizewinner: Adithi Chellakani, “ghazal (my body)”
Franklin and Marshall College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. C. Hunter Boll
2025 Prizewinner: Sara Marija Smith, “The Great Insect Exodus”
George Mason University
Prize Name: The Joseph A. Lohman III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Judith V. Lelchook
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
George Washington University
Prize Name: A.E. Claeyssens Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: George Washington University
2025 Prizewinner: Claire Lee, “O Laurentia!”
Georgetown University
Prize Name: Ora Mary Pelham Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Evelyn Blanchette, “They Tore our House Down With The Lights On”
Georgia College
Prize Name: Frankye Davis Mayes Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mrs. Frances Mayes
2025 Co-Prizewinners: José Genao (graduate), “My Brother, the Sky,” and Christina Keen Faber (undergraduate), “On a Visit from God During Sleep Paralysis”
Georgia State University
Prize Name: The Robert V. Morea III Poetry Prize
Founded: 2018
Donor: Dr. Katherine Kincer
2025 Prizewinner: Kiyanna Hill, “Dream Poem in Which We Never Eat at the Table”
Gettysburg College
Prize Name: Marion Zulauf Prize
Founded: 1987
Donor: Mr. Sander Zulauf
2025 Prizewinner: Amber Bailey, “Ghost Town”
Grinnell College
Prize Name: Lorabel Richardson/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Ms. Alice Louise Haug
2025 Prizewinner: Renz Iurino, “Natty Light”
Hamilton College
Prize Name: The Doris M. and Ralph E. Hansmann Poetry Prize
Founded: 1962
Donor: Hamilton College
2025 Prizewinner: Dylan Buckser-Schulz, “Self-Help Picture Book”
Harrisburg Area Community College
Prize Name: Dale T. Guhl Memorial Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Hartwick College
Prize Name: Anna Sonder Prize
Founder: 1979
Donor: Dr. Otto Sonder
2025 Prizewinner: Meer Singh, “Regurgitated Life”
Harvard University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Harvard University
2025 Prizewinner: McGowin Grinstead, “Devotions”
Haverford College
Prize Name: James C. Ransom Poetry Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Jason Fritz and James Haglund
2025 Prizewinner: Carmen R Miller, “some thoughts on snow in a high mountain desert at midnight”
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Kalilinoe Detwiler, “Live Again”
Hofstra University
Prize Name: Nancy P. Schnader Poetry Award
Founded: 1974
Donor: Hofstra University
2025 Prizewinner: A.P., “Distraction”
University of Houston
Prize Name: Brazos Bookstore/ Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. Karl Kilian
2025 Prizewinner: Bo Hee Moon, “Letters to Omma Reunion”
Hollins University
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1971
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2025 Prizewinner: Kimberly Fetherson, “Relearning”
College of the Holy Cross
Prize Name: Dominick Lepore Poetry Award
Founded: 1992
Donor: Dominick J. Lepore
2025 Prizewinner: Gwyneth Morrissey, “Her House was on fire”
Hope College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Hope College
2025 Prizewinner: AnnaLeah Lacoss, “God as a vending machine”
Hunter College
Prize Name: Catalina Páez and Seumas MacManus Award
Founded: 1987
Donor: Miss Patricia MacManus, Mrs. Mariquita M. Mullan
2025 Prizewinner: Maria Cangro, “Murk”
University of Idaho
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett
2025 Prizewinner: Spencer Robert Young, “The boy I had been, the boy I had wanted, and the boy I lost somewhere along the way”
Illinois College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Ms. Deborah Klang Smith
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Illinois Wesleyan University
Prize Name: Arthur William Hinners and Louise Hinners Sipfle Poetry Prize
Founded: 1980
Donor: Friends and Family of Louise Hinners Sipfle
2025 Prizewinner: Abraham Bishop, “The Night Gallery”
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Prize Name: Ruth Llewellyn Baird Prize
Founded: 1966
Donor: Mrs. Robert D. Wood
2025 Prizewinner: Lama Ghrayeb, “Romantic Inheritance”
Indiana University Bloomington
Prize Name: The Vera Meyer Strube Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2025 Prizewinner: William D. Landau, “Fairy Fruit”
Indiana State University
Prize Name: The Madeline DeGaetano Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1996
Donor: Dr. Elaine L. Kleiner
2025 Prizewinner: Sarah Lee, “Flyover Country”
Institute of American Indian Arts
Prize Name: The Betty and Norman Lockwood Poetry Prize
Founded: 2012
Donor: James Harder
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Car Simione, “Cloud Watching"
Johns Hopkins University
Prize Name: The Laureen Rita Schipsi Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Mr. Thomas Newton Bolling
2025 Prizewinner: Hannah Kosak, “Triptych for Candlemast”
Kenyon College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Kenyon College
2025 Prizewinner: Nicole Yun Wang, “мягкий знак”
Keystone College
Prize Name: Edward M. Cameron IV Poetry Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2025 Prizewinner: Sierra Sczesniak, “Funeral Home”
Lafayette College
Prize Name: Jean E. Corrie Poetry Prize
Founded: 1989
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2025 Prizewinner: Urvi Thakker, “Love Letter to Bandra”
Lewis and Clark College
Prize Name: Vern Rutsala Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Lewis and Clark College
2025 Prizewinner: Andrew Ramirez, “A Guide to Childrearing”
Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
Prize Name: John and Agnes McCarten Memorial Award
Founded: 1967
Donor: Ms. Jeanne Marie Scott
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Loyola University Maryland
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Loyola University Maryland
2025 Prizewinner: Daniel Gaughan, “Daytrip”
Loyola University of Chicago
Prize Name: Dr. Frank C. Lawler Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 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
2025 Prizewinner: Mena Sutphin, “Twilight's Teeth”
Macalester College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Macalester College
2025 Prizewinner: Katherine Norquist, “Playing Horse”
Marietta College
Prize Name: The Stephen Schwartz Prize in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Laura Baudo Sillerman
2025 Prizewinner: Quayle McKay, “banana bread: the life i’ve always wanted”
University of Maryland, College Park
Prize Name: Prize in Memory of Anaïs Nin
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. Robert W. Newcomb
2025 Prizewinner: S. Lieto, “The Used & Rare Bookstore”
University of Mary Washington
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2025 Prizewinner: Aaliyah Anderson, “Inside, a Witness”
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Prize Name: Joseph Langland Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2025 Prizewinner: Hunter Larson, “What the lyric means”
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Abbie McCabe, “Wake (April)”
University of Memphis
Prize Name: The Deborah L. Talbot Poetry Award
Founded: 2002
Donor: Deborah L. Talbot
2025 Prizewinner: Sabrina Spence, “Grief Diagnosis”
Messiah University
Prize Name: Carrie A. Guhl Poetry Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Becca Nicolson, “River”
Miami-Dade College
Prize Name: Fred Shaw Poetry Prize
Founded: 1973
Donor: Kathleen Welton
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Miami University
Prize Name: Harris S. Abrahams Poetry Prize
Founded: 2000
Donor: Mr. Jeffrey Abrahams
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Jordyn Damato (graduate), “[there are a lot of poems i have yet to write—][—there are a lot of things i have yet to admit],” and Lucille Enneking (undergraduate), “Kitchen Sink Baptism”
University of Miami
Prize Name: Alfred Boas Poetry Prize
Founded: 1993
Donor: University of Miami
2025 Prizewinner: Monica Joy Claesson, “Robinette Farms”
Millersville University
Prize Name: Louis Darrell Sage Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Ryan D. Webb, “Desert Bloom”
University of Michigan
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Mrs. Sharon A. Galley
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Rebecca Hawkes (graduate), “Shining Cuckoo,” and Ruby Josephine Lewis (undergraduate), “In the Lamplight”
University of Minnesota
Prize Name: James Wright Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: University of Minnesota
2025 Prizewinner: Sandra Del Rio Madrigal, “VIRGEN DRAG”
Mississippi State University
Prize Name: Joy Taylor Rieves Poetry Prize
Founded: 2021
Donor: Mississippi State University
2025 Prizewinner: Jo Aguilar, “Resume”
University of Missouri at Columbia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1990
Donor: University of Missouri
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Montana
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: University of Montana
2025 Prizewinner: Joa Bren Smith, “My Queer Country”
Mount Holyoke College
Prize Name: Gertrude Claytor Poetry Prize
Founded: 1960
Donor: Mr. W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
2025 Prizewinner: Josephine Fitz, “Sonnet for Wasting Time”
Muskingum University
Prize Name: Beulah Brooks Brown Award in Poetry
Founded: 1993
Donor: Muskingum University
2025 Prizewinner: Trey Kirssin, “I Tried”
Naropa University
Prize Name: The Margaret Randall Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: Friends of Margaret Randall
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Prize Name: Wilbur Gaffney Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Professor Emeritus Wilbur Gaffney
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Nebraska, Omaha
Prize Name: Helen W. Kenefick Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. John C. Kenefick
2025 Prizewinner: Ashley DeVrieze, “Constellations”
New Jersey City University
Prize Name: The Walter Glospie Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: New Jersey City University
2025 Prizewinner: Gianna Valdez, “Table for two, please”
University of New Orleans
Prize Name: Andrea Saunders Gereighty/Academy of American Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Ms. Andrea S. Gereighty
2025 Prizewinner: Karen Sherk Chio, “That time I exclaimed 'you’re so impolite!' when a stranger slapped my behind”
New Mexico State University
Prize Name: Ruth Scott Poetry Award
Founded: 2005
Donor: Judith N. Scott
2025 Prizewinner: Madelyn Parker, “Separation”
New York University
Prize Name: Judith Lobel Arkin Poetry Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: The Arkin Family
2025 Prizewinner: Olivia Ebel, “Sunday Dinner”
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Prize Name: The Anne Williams Burrus Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1963
Donor: Mrs. Ann W. Burrus
2025 Prizewinner: Boatemaa Agyeman-Mensah, “I Used My Words I Used What Words I Had”
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Prize Name: Noel Callow Poetry Award
Founded: 1963
Donor: Anonymous
2025 Prizewinner: Eliana Franklin, “The Bridge in Summer”
North Carolina State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: North Carolina State University
2025 Prizewinner: Xavier Searle, “Elegy”
University of North Dakota
Prize Name: The Thomas McGrath Award
Founded: 1979
Donor: University of North Dakota
2025 Prizewinner: Ella C. Weinmann, “Paper Cuts”
Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
2025 Prizewinner: El Bentivegna, “Escalante as it Meets Lake Powell"
University of North Texas
Prize Name: Voertman/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: University of North Texas
2025 Prizewinner: Brian Czyzyk, “In Absentia”
Northwestern University
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2025 Prizewinner: Roy Zhu, “Stepping into Virginia Woolf’s Room, Briefly, Before Waking”
University of Notre Dame
Prize Name: The Billy Maich Award
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Jessica Maich
2025 Prizewinner: Daryna Gladun, “Dreams of the Sandbox Angels”
Ohio State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets/Arthur Rense Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Ms. Paige Rense
2025 Prizewinner: Connor Beeman, “cicada elegy”
Oklahoma State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1978
Donor: Oklahoma State University
2025 Prizewinner: Katie McMorris, “WE ALL WANT AN ARGONAUT HUSBAND”
Old Dominion University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Helen Peluso (graduate), "Reinaldo," and Eben Atreyu Bracy (undergraduate), “To Tell You The Truth”
Oregon State University
Prize Name: Weaver Undergraduate Poetry Award
Founded: 1986
Donor: Oregon State University
2025 Prizewinner: Flora Snowden, “My Pumpkin Collapsed on Election Day”
Pace University
Prize Name: David A. Bickimer—Promise of Learnings/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: The Promise of Learnings Inc.
2025 Prizewinner: Savannah M. Ford, “file edit view insert format tools”
Pennsylvania State Harrisburg
Prize Name: Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Lauren Ajebon, “How Much for One Palestinian Life?”
Pennsylvania State University
Prize Name: Leonard Steinberg Memorial Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Mrs. Pearl Steinberg
2025 Prizewinner: Ky McKenna, “Bird Woman”
University of Pennsylvania
Prize Name: William Carlos Williams Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: University of Pennsylvania
2025 Prizewinner: Christos Kalli, “STRETCH MARKS”
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
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Pittsburgh
Prize Name: Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Thomas Riley, “Mondegreen with Backing Vocals”
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Prize Name: The Colleen M. Brown Memorial Prize in Poetry
Founded: 2012
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Charlie Fetsko, “A Sound Like Solitude”
Portland State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: The Portland State University Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: CJ Maruyama, “TO MY WHITE FRIENDS I’M ASIAN & TO MY ASIAN FRIENDS I’M WHITE”
Pratt Institute
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1992
Donor: Pratt Institute
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Princeton University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Drs. William F. and Jerene Hewitt
2025 Prizewinner: Claire Beeli, “L.A. River”
Purdue University
Prize Name: The Thomas H. Scholl and Elizabeth Boyd Thompson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas H. Scholl
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Randolph College
Prize Name: Charles and Fanny Fay Wood Poetry Prize
Founded: 1963
Donor: Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Vannida S. Kol (graduate), “Where to Find the Buddha,” and Corbin Underwood (undergraduate), “Heus”
University of Redlands
Prize Name: Jean Burden Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1984
Donor: Ms. Virginia Everett Smith
2025 Prizewinner: Sadie Forkner, “Prism”
Reed College
Prize Name: The Mary Barnard Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1994
Donor: Reed College
2025 Prizewinner: Annie (Chae Eun) Kim, “Wonderseed”
University of Richmond
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2025 Prizewinner: Ann Sabin, “It's the Damn Hands”
Rice University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Joyce Pounds Hardy
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of Rochester
Prize Name: Marion Devendorf Van Laak Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: University of Rochester
2025 Prizewinner: Gabriel Plata, “The Center is the Loneliest”
Rockford University
Prize Name: Colleen Holmbeck Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: Rockford University
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Rollins College
Prize Name: Arden Goettling / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Family and Friends of Arden Goettling
2025 Prizewinners: No prize awarded
Rutgers University
Prize Name: Enid Dame Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Jeanne Marie Beaumont
2025 Prizewinner: Chloe Berwick, “Ars Poetica: Real Poetry”
St. John’s University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2006
Donor: Thomas McInerney
2025 Prizewinner: Tess Patalano, “Revenge of the Goldfish”
St. Lawrence University
Prize Name: James Ligon Price III Memorial Prize in Poetry
Founded: 1975
Donor: St. Lawrence University
2025 Prizewinner: Ellie Hoyt, “Search Bar”
Saint Mary’s College of California
Prize Name: Russell and Yvonne Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Sam Houston State University
Prize Name: The William C. Weathers Memorial Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Ms. Melissa Morphew
2025 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
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
San Francisco State University (graduate)
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1996
Donors: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
University of San Francisco
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2009
Donor: University of San Francisco
2025 Prizewinner: Cornelius Green, “The Sea that is Eating the Houses”
San Jose State University
Prize Name: Virginia de Araujo Prize
Founded: 1981
Donor: Virginia de Araujo Trust
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Santa Clara University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Tamara Verga Prize
Founded: 1995
Donor: Victoria Verga Logan and Frank Verga, Jr.
2025 Prizewinner: Valerie Braylovskiy, “Big Sur”
Sarah Lawrence College (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Tenny Liu, “My Bucket List”
Sarah Lawrence College (graduate)
Prize Name: The John B. Santoianni Award for Excellence in Poetry
Founded: 2005
Donor: Joseph McCrindle and Charmaine Ferenczi
2025 Prizewinner: Leni Rogers, “Poem For When I Am Startled By My Reflection”
Shimer Great Books School at North Central College
Prize Name: Ruth Cooley Poetry Prize
Founded: 1976
Donor: Mr. Peter Cooley
2025 Prizewinner: Nelly Carbonell Nieves, “Cream of Rice”
Shippensburg University
Prize Name: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Laura A. Rice Poetry Prize
2025 Prizewinner: Kenton Woods, “Message for Stressed Professor from Hick Student”
Skidmore College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Skidmore College
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Smith College
Prize Name: Anne Bradstreet Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Smith College
2025 Prizewinner: Lydia Geering, “Can I Borrow Your Hair Dye?”
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (undergraduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Mr. Rodney Jones
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (graduate)
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: Carolyn Forman Moe
2025 Prizewinner: Brock William Storey, “After the Sermon I Wanted Leprosy”
Spelman College
Prize Name: Edith A. Hambie Poetry Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: Friends and Family of Edith Hambie
2025 Prizewinner: Oleisia Johnson, “The Weight She Gives Me”
Spring Hill College
Prize Name: Reverend Andrew C. Smith, S.J., Poetry Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Alexa Manuel, “Guilt of an Immigrant's Daughter”
Stetson University
Prize Name: The Holly M. Kimball Poetry Prize
Founded: 2005
Donor: Mr. Phillip Blumberg
2025 Prizewinners: Rowan Geddes, “abel-bodied”
SUNY Albany
Prize Name: Phyllis Hurd Liston Poetry Prize
Founded: 1998
Donor: The Liston Family
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
SUNY Binghamton
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1979
Donor: SUNY Binghamton
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Jenn Powers (graduate), “Heritage,” and Olivia Drury (undergraduate), “Sailor and the Vegas Strip”
SUNY Buffalo (graduate)
Prize Name: Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2010
Donor: Mr. Dan Liberthson
2025 Prizewinner: J.D.B. Elm, “Hold, Puuku”
SUNY Buffalo (undergraduate)
Prize Name: The Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1974
Donor: SUNY Buffalo
2025 Prizewinner: Julianne Neely, “Self-Portrait in a Cell Phone Camera after John Ashbery’s Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror”
SUNY Farmingdale
Prize Name: Raynor Wallace Poetry Award
Founded: 1988
Donor: SUNY Farmingdale
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
SUNY Oswego
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Mr. John W. Mincher, Jr.
2025 Prizewinner: Isaiah A. Bedoar, “7”
Swarthmore College
Prize Name: Nathalie F. Anderson Poetry Prize
Founded: 2021
Donor: Alumni of Swarthmore College
2025 Prizewinner: Tanisha Dunac, “A Soft Place to Land”
Sweet Briar College
Prize Name: The Jean Taylor Meyer Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 2003
Donor: Jean Meyer Aloe
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Temple University
Prize Name: Albert J. Caplan Prize
Founded: 1985
Donor: Mr. Albert J. Caplan
2025 Prizewinner: Zinfandel Perez, “Nemo Won”
University of Texas at Austin
Prize Name: Andrew Julius Gutow Poetry Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: The Andrew Julius Gutow Memorial Fund
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Trinity College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1997
Donor: Trinity College
2025 Prizewinner: Danny Lenois, “Edeltraud Grom”
Tufts University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: Tufts University
2025 Prizewinner: Ruby Goodman, “Smoke Break”
Tulane University
Prize Name: Anselle M. Larson / Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Mr. Herbert V. Larson, Jr.
2025 Prizewinner: Z.Y. Churchhill, “red wolf, stray dog”
United States Naval Academy
Prize Name: Stuart Pitt Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1975
Donor: Mrs. A. Stuart Pitt
2025 Prizewinner: Alex Wentz, “Campus”
University of Utah
Prize Name: Larry Levis Memorial Poetry Prize
Founded: 1969
Donor: University of Utah
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Valdosta State University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1986
Donor: Mr. Edward Davin Vickers
2025 Prizewinner: Carolina Acevedo Gomez, “Sonnet of the Trinity”
Valparaiso University
Prize Name: Vivian S. Richards Memorial Prize
Founded: 1988
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. Nancy and Michael Becker
2025 Prizewinner: Makayla Lachelle Scott, “Emotions”
Vanderbilt University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Vanderbilt University
2025 Prizewinner: Kinsale Drake, “Ram's Head, Blue Morning Glory, 1938”
Vassar College
Prize Name: Mary Rousmaniere Gordon Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: Mr. Albert H. Gordon
2025 Prizewinner: Eliza Gilbert, “Lazarella”
University of Virginia
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Henry Hoyns Bequest, Charles Wright
2025 Prizewinner: Alexa Luborsky, “I was the wet cloth that kept the phyllo damp.”
Virginia Commonwealth University
Prize Name: Catherine and Joan Byrne Poetry Prize
Founded: 2002
Donor: Nan Byrne
2025 Prizewinner: Julia St. John, “Our Lady of the Parkway”
Virginia Tech
Prize name: Virginia Tech / Poetry Society of Virginia Prize
Founded: 2007
Donor: The Poetry Society of Virginia
2025 Prizewinner: Riley O'Mearns, “Past Life Regression: Spur”
Wake Forest University
Prize name: The Edwin G. Wilson Prize/Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2022
Donor: Wake Forest University
2025 Prizewinner: Iliana Booth, “The Donation”
Washington College
Prize Name: The Jude and Miriam Pfister Poetry Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Dr. and Mrs. Jude Pfister
2025 Prizewinner: Sophie Kilbride, “Cabin #8”
Washington and Lee University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Anonymous
2025 Prizewinner: Kaia Beddows, “Handlebars”
Washington University
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1968
Donor: Washington University
2025 Co-Prizewinners: Safa Khatib (graduate), “Elegy,” and Shelby Edison (undergraduate), “Waiting for an Uber after Rosh Hashanah services, maybe this is where I feel closest to God”
University of Washington
Prize Name: Harold Taylor Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The New Hope Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Lillian Morton, “Brother, Brother”
Wayne State University
Prize Name: John Clare Award in Poetry
Founded: 1984
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. Nancy and Michael Becker
2025 Prizewinner: Wafaa Mustafa, “Colocynthesis”
Wellesley College
Prize Name: Nevin Prize
Founded: 1957
Donor: The Family of Betty Nevin Marshall and Robert Nevin
2025 Prizewinner: Izzy Toy Rettke, “Love Poem for Vampires”
Wells College
Prize Name: Catharine B. De Pau Poetry Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: The Lyric Foundation for Traditional Poetry
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
Wesleyan College
Prize Name: George Warren Gignilliat, Jr. Poetry Prize
Founded: 1984
Donor: J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz
2025 Prizewinner: Simone Russell, “I Am That, Too”
Wesleyan University
Prize Name: Sarah Hannah Memorial Prize
Founded: 2008
Donor: Kate Bernheimer
2025 Prizewinner: Mariema Tall, “Xol”
Westminster College
Prize Name: Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Prize
Founded: 1999
Donor: Westminster College
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
College of William and Mary
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 1983
Donor: Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
2025 Prizewinner: Salma Amrou, "House"
Williams College
Prize Name: Bullock Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Academy of American Poets
2025 Prizewinner: Varya Kluev, “After A Party”
Wilson College
Prize Name: The William and Ivy Saylor Prize
Founded: 2013
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Ittai Payne, “Love Letter to the Sun”
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Prize Name: George B. Hill Poetry Prize
Founded: 2004
Donor: Kevin P. Bjerregaard
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
College of Wooster
Prize Name: Cora Owlett Latzer Award
Founded: 1983
Donor: Ms. Susan Donnell
2025 Prizewinner: Gabriel Z. McCreath, “Apophasis”
Yale University
Prize Name: Sean T. Lannan Poetry Prize
Founded: 1955
Donor: The Lannan Foundation
2025 Prizewinner: Maisie Bilston, “The Consecration of Westminster Abbey on Holy Innocents’ Day, 1065”
Yonsei University / Underwood International College
Prize Name: Academy of American Poets Prize
Founded: 2011
Donor: Yonsei University
2025 Prizewinner: No prize awarded
York College of Pennsylvania
Prize Name: Mary Jane’s Diamond Prize
Founded: 2015
Donor: Mr. Raymond W. Britcher
2025 Prizewinner: Marissa Stambaugh, “There's something about silence.”