Cleveland State University Poetry Center Awards
First Book and Open Book Competitions
$1,000 and publication in the CSU Poetry Series is offered for the best full-length volumes of original poetry in English submitted between November 1, 2010 and February 15, 2011.
The First Book Award is given to an author who has not previously published a book of poetry.
The Open Competition is for poets who have previously published at least one full-length collection.2011 First Book Award Judge: Matthea Harvey
2011 Open Competition Award Jury : Kazim Ali, Mary Biddinger, Michael Dumanis, and Sarah Gridley
ELIGIBILITY:
- manuscripts are eligible for the First Book competition if the author has not published or committed to publish a collection of his or her poetry in a book of 48 or more pages with a press run of at least 500 copies; if an author’s prior books were all self-published or published by subsidy presses, they should still enter the First Book competition
- entry to the Open Competition is limited to authors who have published at least one full-length collection of original poetry in English (of 48 or more pages with a press run of at least 500 copies) with a non-subsidy press
- intimate friends, relatives, current and former students of First Book judge Matthea Harvey (students in an academic, degree-conferring program or its equivalent) are not eligible to enter the 2011 First Book contest
- current faculty, staff,, students, and alumni of Cleveland State University or the Northeast Ohio MFA Program (NEOMFA) are not eligible to submit their work to either competition
- poets whose collections were previously published by the CSU Poetry Center are not eligible to submit their work to either competition
- manuscripts that have been previously published in their entirety, including self-published manuscripts, are not eligible
- translations are not eligible
- simultaneous submissions are acceptable; please inform us immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere
MANUSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS:
- manuscript should contain a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 100 pages of poetry
- reading fee: $25.00 per manuscript, check or money order payable to Cleveland State University
- manuscript pages should be numbered, include a table of contents
- include one cover page with manuscript title, your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address (your name should not appear elsewhere on the manuscript); include a second cover page containing manuscript title only
- clearly indicate “First Book” or “Open Competition” on outside of mailing envelope and on each cover page
- include an acknowledgments page after the first cover page, listing any previously published poems (as well as all previously published full-length collections of original poetry if you’re submitting your work to the Open Competition)
- send multiple submissions in the same envelope, marked “Multiple”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- for notification of manuscript receipt, include a self-addressed, stamped postcard
- for notification of contest results, include email address and/or a self-addressed, stamped envelope
- manuscripts are not returned, and once submitted, cannot be altered; winners will be given the opportunity to make changes prior to publication
- the CSU Poetry Center reserves the right to consider all finalists’ manuscripts for publication
- listing of winners and finalists will be posted on the Poetry Center website: www.csuohio.edu/poetrycenter
- email poetrycenter@csuohio.edu with any further questions
MAIL ENTRIES TO:
Cleveland State University Poetry Center Prizes
(please specify: First Book or Open Competition)
Department of English
2121 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214