Eligibility and Guidelines: Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize

The RCAH Center for Poetry at Michigan State University, in cooperation with the MSU Press, announces reading dates annually for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication within two years of selection under the Wheelbarrow Books imprint. The submission period is from mid-August through October 1, 2026.

The final judge for the 2027 (Established) Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize will be announced in mid-2026.

 

• Eligibility
  • Manuscripts are eligible for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize (Established) if the author has published at least one full-length collection of original poetry in English (of 48 pages or more with a press run of at least 500 copies). This competition is not open to first books. Translations are not eligible.
  • Current faculty, staff, and students of Michigan State University are not eligible to submit their work.
  • Multiple submissions are welcome and simultaneous submissions are acceptable (please inform us if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere).
  • The Center for Poetry in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at MSU reserves the right to consider all entrants for publication; a list of winners and finalists will be posted on the Center for Poetry website in early February 2027 after the winning author is notified.
  • Publication is contingent upon the poet’s agreeing to the terms of the publishing agreement.
  
  
  Guidelines
  • Manuscripts must be submitted as a PDF file.
  • Manuscripts must be in English and a minimum 64 pages, typed in a 12-point font.
  • The poet's name or identifying information is not to appear on the manuscript.
  • Include just one title page with the title only. List all other contact information in the entry form of the submissions manager.
  • Entries are judged anonymously. If any identifying information is found in the manuscript, the manuscript will be removed from consideration.
  • Manuscripts must not include acknowledgements.
  • Submitted poems may have appeared previously in journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be previously unpublished.
  • Include the nonrefundable reading fee of $15 with your submission. Submissions received without this fee will not be accepted or considered.
  • Submissions not meeting these guidelines will not be considered, nor the reading fee refunded.

 

 

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