Willis Barnstone Translation Prize

うぃりす・ばーんすとーんほんやくしょう

Annual prize for translations of poems into English, established by the University of Evansville in honor of Willis Barnstone.

Translation awardPoetryUniversity awardAmerican literary award

Established: 2002
Organizer: University of Evansville (The Evansville Review)
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Application Deadline: around December
Status: Active

Description

The Willis Barnstone Translation Prize is an annual award inaugurated in 2002 by the University of Evansville and presented annually since 2003. It honors poet-translator Willis Barnstone; Dr. Barnstone has served each year as the contest's final judge. The award carries a cash prize of USD 1,000 and the winning poem(s) are published in The Evansville Review. After the retirement of William Baer in 2015, Tiffany Griffith became the director of the competition.

Prize

Main Prize: Cash prize and publication of the winning poem(s) in The Evansville Review.
Cash Prize: 1,000 USD

Publication in The Evansville Review
Recognition by Willis Barnstone (final judge)
Some years name multiple winners

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Submission and initial screening	Competition director and editorial staff of The Evansville Review (University of Evansville)	null	Winners published in The Evansville Review and announced via University of Evansville / Evansville Review channels.
Final judging	Willis Barnstone (final judge)	null	Final winners selected by the final judge and published in The Evansville Review.

Submission and initial screening

Judges Competition director and editorial staff of The Evansville Review (University of Evansville)

Pass Rate null

Announcement Winners published in The Evansville Review and announced via University of Evansville / Evansville Review channels.

Final judging

Judges Willis Barnstone (final judge)

Pass Rate null

Announcement Final winners selected by the final judge and published in The Evansville Review.

Criteria

Poetic quality of the English rendering
Fidelity to the original poem
Literary merit and overall impact

Application Tips

Dos

Clearly indicate both the original text and the translation, and specify the source (author, language)
Emphasize English poetic expression (rhythm, imagery, sound)
Follow the submission guidelines on the official website and submit in proper format

Don''ts

Do not submit overly literal translations that lose poetic appeal in English
Do not omit credits for the original author or original language
Do not submit without proofreading (typos and omissions may lead to deductions)

From Judges

Judging focuses on balancing poetic excellence in English with fidelity to the original
Emphasis on whether the translation stands alone as poetry (literal translations score poorly)
Clearly attach any necessary examples or notes