Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award

きんぐすりー・たふつししょう

An annual $100,000 prize for a mid-career poet's published collection, administered by Claremont Graduate University and described as the world's largest monetary prize for a single collection of poetry.

Poetry awardAmerican literary awardMid-career prize

Established: 1993
Organizer: Claremont Graduate University
Category: Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around April
Status: Active

Description

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, established in 1993 at Claremont Graduate University, is awarded annually to a mid-career poet who has an established body of work for a collection of poetry in English. It aims to provide significant financial support ($100,000) enabling the recipient to continue work on their craft. The program is paired with the Kate Tufts Discovery Award (established 1994, $10,000) for a promising first book.

Prize

Main Prize: Annual Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award presented to a mid-career poet (major prize); counterpart Kate Tufts Discovery Award for a first book.
Cash Prize: 100,000 USD

One-week residency at Claremont Graduate University (recipient commits to lectures and readings)
Presentation and readings at awards ceremony in April (National Poetry Month)
Kate Tufts Discovery Award (counterpart prize, $10,000) for a promising first book

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Preliminary screening	Preliminary panel of three judges (screens approx. 400 combined submissions for both awards)	—	Preliminary panel selects and forwards finalists to the final panel.
Final selection	Final panel of five distinguished judges representing a cross-section of the American poetry community	—	Winners are selected by the final panel; winners announced in February and presented at a ceremony in April at Claremont Graduate University (winners required to accept in person).

Preliminary screening

Judges Preliminary panel of three judges (screens approx. 400 combined submissions for both awards)

Announcement Preliminary panel selects and forwards finalists to the final panel.

Final selection

Judges Final panel of five distinguished judges representing a cross-section of the American poetry community

Announcement Winners are selected by the final panel; winners announced in February and presented at a ceremony in April at Claremont Graduate University (winners required to accept in person).

Criteria

Artistic excellence and coherence of the published poetry collection
Career-stage suitability (mid-career for Kingsley Tufts; first-book promise for Kate Tufts Discovery Award)
Publication within the eligibility window (book published between July and June prior to submission)
Poet must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien
A single work may be submitted only once for either award; manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted

Application Tips

Dos

Submit by the annual deadline: July 1
Confirm the book was published within the eligibility window (previous July–June)
Submit a full-length published collection (manuscripts, CDs, chapbooks not accepted)
Confirm U.S. citizenship or legal resident alien status before applying
Follow the official submission guidelines on the Claremont Graduate University/Tufts awards site

Don''ts

Do not submit manuscripts, CDs, or chapbooks
Do not submit the same work more than once for either award
Do not miss the July 1 deadline or submit works published outside the eligibility window
Do not assume remote acceptance—the winner must accept the award in person and complete the week-long residency

From Judges

Judges evaluate the overall artistic excellence and coherence of the collection rather than isolated poems
For the Kingsley Tufts Award judges look for a mid‑career poet with an established body of work; for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award they look for promise in a first book
Presentation and clarity of the published book (edition, completeness) matter; follow submission instructions carefully
The award aims to support poets financially so they can continue their work—emphasize sustained artistic practice