poetry prize Dorset/ Tupelo Press

2011 DORSET PRIZE FOR POETRY 

September 1 – December 31, 2011
(postmark or online submission-date)
Final Judge: Tom Sleigh
$3,000 Prize

The Dorset Prize includes a cash award of $3,000 in addition to publication by Tupelo Press, a book launch, and national distribution with energetic publicity and promotion. Manuscripts are judged anonymously. All finalists will also be considered for publication. This competition is open to any poet writing in English. Previously published poems with proper acknowledgment are acceptable. Translations are not eligible, nor are previously self-published books. Employees of Tupelo Press and authors previously published by Tupelo Press are not eligible.

Manuscript Requirements:

Submit a previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscript of between 48 and 88 pages (of poems). Include two cover pages: one with the title of the manuscript only, the other with title of manuscript, name, address, telephone number, and email address. Include a table of contents and, if applicable, an acknowledgments page for prior publications in periodicals. Cover letters or biography notes are optional; if included, these will not be read until the conclusion of the contest.

• The Dorset Prize is open to anyone writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad. Translations are not eligible for this prize.
• Poets submitting work for consideration may be published authors or writers without prior book publications. While the first three winners of the annual Dorset Prize were first books (the anonymous process seems to work), we receive many submissions from poets with significant publishing histories, including previous books, so the competition is intense. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether to enter a manuscript for the Dorset Prize.
• Individual poems in a contest manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished. Reminder: Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions to other publishers or contests are permitted, as long as you notify Tupelo Press promptly if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• All finalists will also be considered for publication.
• Tupelo Press endorses and abides by the Ethical Guidelines of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP).
• Before you submit a manuscript to a Tupelo Press competition, please consider exploring the work of the poets we have published. We’re drawn to technical virtuosity combined with abundant imagination; memorable, vivid imagery and strikingly musical approaches to language; willingness to take risks; and an ability to convey penetrating insights into human experience. Here's the link for more info: http://www.tupelopress.org/dorset.php