The 3rd Annual Annette Allen Poetry Prize
is accepting submissions NOW through midnight, December 15, 2024.
is accepting submissions NOW through midnight, December 15, 2024.
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Robert Eric Shoemaker will serve as Judge for the 3rd Annual Annette Allen Poetry Prize.
• Open to all university and college students residing in the Louisville Metro area, graduate and undergraduate, in all departments and programs.
• One Prize Winner will receive a cash award of $300 and publication of their winning poem in The Louisville Review, a national literary magazine in print publication for over 45 years.
• Two Honorable Mentions will receive a cash award of $50.
• Up to two Runners Up will receive a copy of Allen’s poetry collection, The Cruel Radiance of What Is (2019).
• All awarded writers will read at the Annette Allen Poetry Prize Celebration Reading at the 52nd annual Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture at the University of Louisville, 2/20/25 - 2/22/25, exact day/time TBD.
• Students may submit one manuscript containing 1-5 previously unpublished poems.
• Students from all disciplines are encouraged to write and submit poems—no prior poetry experience is required!
• Students are encouraged to submit poetry that engages the arts and/or humanities. Such poems might incorporate reflections, descriptions, or allusions to visual art, music, drama, literature, identity, gender, history, dance, myth, philosophical texts, etc.
• We enthusiastically welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities, including minority, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ writers. We value poetry that draws on diverse perspectives, and we welcome poetry in a variety of registers, modes, and styles.
• Judge reads all submissions blind, and submissions are evaluated solely on the quality of the work submitted.
• Notifications will be sent to all entrants at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester.
Nota Bene: Entrants are strongly encouraged to read some of Allen’s poems on the website as examples of poetic engagement with the arts and humanities. All poetic styles and original voices are welcome and there is no need to imitate Annette Allen's poems.
