Poetry Magazine Prizes
Several prizes are awarded annually for work printed in Poetry during the preceding year. Only poems already published in the magazine are eligible for consideration, and no formal application is necessary. The winners are announced in the December issue. Below the prize descriptions is a complete list of past prize winners.
Levinson Prize
The Levinson Prize, presented annually since 1914 through the generosity of the late Salmon O. Levinson and his family, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Jennifer Chang for her poems “Dialogues (Against Literature)” and “The Age of Unreason” from the July/August 2023 issue.
Bess Hokin Prize
The Bess Hokin Prize, established in 1948 through the generosity of Poetry’s late friend and guarantor Mrs. David Hokin, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Omar Sakr for his series of three poems titled “On Finding the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Dante's ‘Inferno’” in the June 2023 issue.
Frederick Bock Prize
The Frederick Bock Prize, founded in 1981 by friends in memory of the former associate editor of Poetry, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Michelle Peñaloza for her poems “Utang Na Loob” and “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems” from the July/August 2023 issue.
J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize
The J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize, endowed since 1994, in the amount of $5,000, is awarded to Omotara James for her poems “Autobiography of Thud” and “First Kiss/Under Capitalism” in the January 2023 issue.
The John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize for Translation, established in 1999 by Bonnie Larkin Nims, trustees of the Poetry Foundation, and friends of the late poet, translator, and editor, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Lena Khalaf Tuffaha for her translations of Zakaria Mohammed’s poems, “January 2,” “August 15,” and “August 16” in the September 2023 issue.
The Friends of Literature Prize, established in 2002 by the Friends of Literature, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Yongyu Chen for their poem “Theory of Mesh” in the February 2023 issue.
The Editors Prize for Feature Article, established in 2005, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to two authors this year: Nikky Finney for her essay “Carolyn Rodgers: Loving on Black People” in the October 2022 issue and torrin a. greathouse for her essay “Writing from the Ashes: On the Burning Haibun” in the July/August 2023 issue.
The Editors Prize for Reviewing, established in 2004, in the amount of $1,000, was not awarded in 2022 or 2023 since Poetry magazine didn’t publish any reviews in the eligible issues. Instead, we awarded two prizes for Feature Article.
The Editors Prize for Visual Poetry, established in 2019, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Roda Avelar for her poem “Jotxland Epic” from the March 2023 issue.
Congratulations to this year’s winners and many thanks to the judges of this year’s magazine prizes: Alejandro Aguirre, Sohini Basak, Emily Brandt, Nicholas Goodly, Lisa Low, and Natalie Perman.
Past Prize Winners
Other Ways We Fund Poetry
The grants program supports nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, including the territories, that have a core commitment to poetry and the literary arts.
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships are awarded annually to support exceptional US poets between 21 and 31 years of age.
Poetry does not charge fees to submit and it compensates all contributors for work it publishes.
Poetry awards prizes annually for work published in the magazine during the preceding year.