Call for Poetry Manuscripts

Applications Due December 31, 2022

We are currently accepting submissions for the 2023 Poetry Chapbook Competition from 09/01/2022 through 12/31/2022. Guest judge will be Aracelis Girmay.

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. This year Aracelis Girmay will serve as the guest judge in selecting manuscripts.

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, one poet is selected to receive ten copies of a limited edition chapbook published from their manuscript, a $500 cash award, a $500 honorarium to participate in November Chapbook Reading alongside the Guest Judge that selected their work, a week-long residency at Millay Arts, and one copy each of the guest judge’s chapbook and the runners-ups’ broadsides.

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

To learn more about the history of this program visit this page.