Montreal International Poetry Prize
もんとりおーるこくさいししょう
A biennial international poetry competition open to English-language poems from around the world. One prize of $20,000 CAD is awarded for a single poem of forty or fewer lines. Managed by the Department of English at McGill University, with the winning and finalist poems published in an anthology by Véhicule Press.
- Established
- 2011
- Organizer
- Department of English, McGill University
- Category
- Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
- Selection Method
- Open call
- Target
- Open
- Frequency
- 2 per year
- Announcement Period
- around September
- Status
- Active
Description
The Montreal International Poetry Prize is an international open call poetry prize established in 2011, targeting a single poem in English. Held biennially, it solicits English poems online from around the world. Judging is conducted by a committee of 10 international editors assembled for each event, and the final winner is selected by a single judge. The prize money is CAD 20,000 (paid for a single poem), and the top 50 poems are published in an anthology by Véhicule Press (Signal Editions). Electronic longlist anthologies were produced in 2011 and 2013, and the longlist anthology was discontinued in 2015. Since 2018, the McGill University Department of English has been responsible for operations and management. Major judges include Andrew Motion (2011), Don Paterson (2013), Eavan Boland (2015), Michael Harris (2017), Yusef Komunyakaa (2020), etc. Main winners include Mark Tredinnick (2011), Mia Anderson (2013), Eva H.D. (2015), Erin Rodoni (2017), Victoria Korth (2020), Claire Wahmanholm (2022).
Prize
- Main Prize
- CAD 20,000 awarded to the winning poem. Top 50 poems published in an anthology by Véhicule Press (Signal Editions).
- Cash Prize
- 20,000 CAD
- Publication in printed anthology of top 50 (Véhicule Press / Signal Editions) (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
- Electronic longlist anthology (2011, 2013) — discontinued in 2015
- International exposure and publication opportunities
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission Period | Online submissions (from around the world, poems in English) | null | Submission period conducted on the official website |
| First Round (Editorial Committee) | Committee of 10 international editors assembled for each event (creates longlist/shortlist) | null | Longlist and shortlist announced on official site or in anthology (longlist anthology produced in 2011 and 2013) |
| Final Selection (Single Judge) | Selected single judge selects the winner (e.g., Andrew Motion 2011; Don Paterson 2013; Eavan Boland 2015; Michael Harris 2017; Yusef Komunyakaa 2020) | null | Winner announced on official website and press release. Top 50 poems included in anthology |