Walt Whitman Award

うぉると・ほいっとまんしょう

A poetry award to promote the publication of first poetry collections by emerging American poets. Sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, established in 1975.

PoetryFirst-bookEmerging poets

Established: 1975
Organizer: Academy of American Poets
Category: Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Newcomer
Frequency: 1 per year
Application Deadline: around September
Status: Active

Description

The Walt Whitman Award is a competitive poetry prize for emerging American poets who have not yet published a book-length collection (submitters of book-length poetry manuscripts). Winners receive publication of their manuscript (traditionally in the series by Louisiana State University Press), $5,000 USD in cash, and a fully funded six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy, among other benefits. The Academy purchases numerous copies of the winning book for distribution to members, creating significant circulation in the poetry market.

Prize

Main Prize: Includes publication of the winning work (traditionally in LSU Press's Walt Whitman Award Series), $5,000 USD in cash, and a six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy (fully funded), among others.
Cash Prize: 5,000 USD

First-book publication (historically in the Walt Whitman Award Series by LSU Press)
All-expenses-paid six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center
Large-scale purchase and distribution to members of the winning work by the Academy of American Poets (e.g., approximately 6,000 copies)
Extensive promotional opportunities through publication and distribution

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Application reception (manuscript submission)	A renowned poet appointed each year serves as the judge (judges for each year are listed in the winners list)	—	Applications are accepted online or by mail within the period specified by the Academy (details on the official website)
Selection (judging by the judge)	Usually one appointed poet conducts the final selection, or after preliminary screening by the office, the judge decides (varies by year)	—	After internal selection, the final winner is determined
Announcement and publication	The winner is officially announced on Poets.org (Academy of American Poets) etc., and published by the publisher	—	Winner announcement is made via Poets.org news releases and related media

Application reception (manuscript submission)

Judges A renowned poet appointed each year serves as the judge (judges for each year are listed in the winners list)

Announcement Applications are accepted online or by mail within the period specified by the Academy (details on the official website)

Selection (judging by the judge)

Judges Usually one appointed poet conducts the final selection, or after preliminary screening by the office, the judge decides (varies by year)

Announcement After internal selection, the final winner is determined

Announcement and publication

Judges The winner is officially announced on Poets.org (Academy of American Poets) etc., and published by the publisher

Announcement Winner announcement is made via Poets.org news releases and related media

Criteria

Must be a book-length poetry manuscript (long poetry collection)
Applicants must not have previously published a book (targeting first-time publishing poets)
Poetic technique, originality, and literary quality (emphasis on quality)

Application Tips

Dos

First, check the application guidelines and eligibility (e.g., unpublished poetry collection)
Thoroughly proofread the manuscript and submit a high-quality selection of representative works
Strictly adhere to submission format and page limits
Observe the application deadline and submission method (official website)