PEN Award for Poetry in Translation

ぺんしょう（しのほんやくしょう）

Annual translation award presented by PEN America to English translations of poetry books published in the US in the previous year.

Translation awardPoetryLiterary award

Established: 1996
Organizer: PEN America (formerly PEN American Center)
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Selection
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around March
Status: Active

Description

The PEN Award for Poetry in Translation is awarded by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) and targets English-translated poetry collections (book-length translations) published in the United States in the previous year. The prize is $3,000 USD, and up to two translators per winning work can receive the award. Translator nationality is unrestricted. It is one of PEN's major translation awards, evaluating translation quality and poetic value.

Prize

Main Prize: Award for book-length poetry translation (cash prize and industry recognition)
Cash Prize: 3,000 USD

Up to 2 translators can co-win
Translator nationality unrestricted
Targets English-translated poetry collections (book-length) published in the US in the previous year

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Application and nomination reception	Submissions from publishers or translators, or nominations by PEN (refer to official guidelines for details)	Unknown	Application reception information is announced on the PEN official website
Selection (shortlist / finalist creation)	Judges (committee) appointed by PEN	Unknown	Shortlist, if published, is announced on the official website or press
Winner determination and announcement	Judging panel (nominated by PEN)	Unknown	Announced on PEN America official website, press releases, and related media

Application and nomination reception

Judges Submissions from publishers or translators, or nominations by PEN (refer to official guidelines for details)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Application reception information is announced on the PEN official website

Selection (shortlist / finalist creation)

Judges Judges (committee) appointed by PEN

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Shortlist, if published, is announced on the official website or press

Winner determination and announcement

Judges Judging panel (nominated by PEN)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Announced on PEN America official website, press releases, and related media

Criteria

Book-length English translation of poetry (published in the US in the previous year)
Literary completeness and poetic quality of the translation
Dialogue with the original (fidelity and creativity), and poetic expression in English

Application Tips

Dos

Confirm in advance if publication information (publishing year, publisher) meets application requirements
Meticulously proofread the translated text and refine English poetic expression
For co-translations, clearly state translator credits and organize roles
Prepare and submit application documents (ISBN, proof of publication, etc.)

Don''ts

Do not submit unpublished works or those not published in the US
Do not submit without following application rules (format, deadline)
Do not misdeclare translator or publication information

From Judges

Translation respects the original voice while emphasizing poetic quality in English
Attention to form (line breaks, punctuation, layout, etc.) affects evaluation
If multiple translations exist, present the highest quality version