Opportunities → Chapbook Competition


ABOUT THE COMPETITION

For more than 25 years, Center for Book Arts has annually invited writers to submit a manuscript for review by a guest judge who is an expert in the field.

The guest judge selects a winner and two runners-up for the competition.

CBA then commissions artists to design and produce a limited-edition chapbook of the competition winner’s manuscript, a limited-edition chapbook of a manuscript by the guest judge, and two limited-edition broadsides respectively featuring poems by the competition runners-up.

CBA also programs a reading and publication launch as part of the competition. Publications from previous competitions are available in the bookshop.

Each year, the competition winner receives ten copies of their chapbook, a $500 honorarium, a $500 stipend to participate in the competition reading, a week-long stay at Millay Arts during their Wintertide Rustic Retreat season (valued at $480), and one copy each of the guest judge’s chapbook and the runners-up’s broadsides.

The two runners up each receive ten copies of their respective limited-edition broadside, a $250 honorarium to participate in the competition reading, and one copy each of the winner and guest judge’s chapbooks.


2024 POETRY CHAPBOOK COMPETITION

We will be accepting submissions for the 2024 Poetry Chapbook Competition from 09/01/2023 through 12/15/2023.


VIDEOS OF PREVIOUS READINGS


2023 Competition

Winner: Bhion Achimba
Runners-up: S.Kim & Sadé Powell
Guest Judge: Aracelis Girmay


PREVIOUS COMPETITIONS

2022 Competition

Winner: Mai Serhan
Runners-up: Megan Sugnyoon & Nicola Masciandaro
Guest Judge: Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge


2021 Competition

Winner: Bianca Rae Messinger
Runners-up: Dujie Tahat & Benjamin Aleshire
Guest Judge: Simone White


2020 Competition

Winner: Katerina I. Ramos-Jordán
Runners-up: Rushi Vyas & Emily Bludworth de Barrios
Guest Judge: Raquel Salas Rivera


2019 Competition

Winner: Miriam Bird Greenberg
runners-up: Ayokunle Falomo & Trinity Tibe
Guest Judge: Edwin Torres


2018 Competition

Winner: Luisa A. Igloria
Runners-up: Jason Baker & Elly Bookman
Guest Judge: Natasha Trethewey


2017 Winner

Winner: Kim Fberly Kruge
Runners-up: Dave Denny & Basma Kavanagh
Guest Judge: Juan Filipe Herrera


2016 Winner

Winner: Emily Carlson
Runners-up: Fritz Ward & Patrick Donnelly
Guest Judge: Mary Ruefle


2015 Competition

Winner: Diana Marie-Delgado
Runners-up: Joy Katz & Pablo Miguel Martinez
Guest Judge: Cornelius Eady


2014 Competition

Winner: Sara Wallace
Runners-up: Carol Ann Davis & M. Callen
Organized by David St. John


2013 Competition

Winner: Sandra Beasley
Runners-up: Sheila Carter-Jones, Joshua Kryah & Alexandra Lytton Regalado
Guest Judge: Harryette Mullen


2012 Competition

Winner: V. Penelope Pelizzon
Runners up Rob Stephens & Susan B.A. Somers-Willet
Organized by Phillis Levin


2011 Competition

Winner: Nehassaiu deGannes
Runners-up: Sue Burton & Mark McKain
Guest Judge: Kimiko Hahn


2010 Competition

Winner: Alexander Long
Runners-up: Hadara Bar-Nadar, Deborah Flanagan & Jennifer Perrine
Guest Judge: Terrance Hayes


2009 Competition

Winner: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Runners up: Lucia Perillo & Teresa Leo
Guest Judge: Kim Addonizio


2008 Competition

Winner: Robert Ostrom
Runners-up: Page Starzinger & Rusty Morrison
Guest Judge: Tomaz Salamun


2007 Competition

Winner: Eric Pankey
Runners up Beth Ann Fennelly and Ann Snodgrass
Organized by Jane Hirshfield


2006 Competition

Winner: Jesse Lee Kercheval
Runners-up: Stephanie Lenox & Matthew Thorburn
Guest Judge: Albert Goldbarth


2005 Competition

Winner: Ailish Hopper
Runners-up: Ann Fisher-Wirth & Joy Katz
Guest Judge: Jean Valentine


2004 Competition

Winner: Jeffrey Skinner
Runners up: Jillian Weise & Ted Mathys
Guest Judge: C.K. Williams


2003 Competition

Winner L.B. Thompson
Runners-up: Eve Grubin & Barbara Ungar
Guest Judge: Marie Howe


2002 Competition

Winner: Rachel Zucker
Guest Judge: Lynn Emmanuel


2001 Competition

Winner: Jack Ridl
Guest Judge: Billy Collins


2000 Competition

Winner Terri Witek
Guest Judge: Rachel Hadas


1999 Competition

Winner: Donald Platt
Guest Judge: Eaven Boland


1998 Competition

Winner: James Haug
Guest Judge: Gerald Stern


1997 Competition

Winner Judith Vollmer
Guest Judge: Mark Doty


1996 Competition

Winner: Andrew Kaufman

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