Poetry Magazine
Poetry Magazine Prizes
Several prizes are awarded annually for the best work printed in Poetry during the preceding year. Only poems already published in the magazine are eligible for consideration, and no formal application is necessary. The winners are announced in the November issue. Following the prize descriptions is a complete list of past prize winners.
The Poetry Foundation also administers the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships.
The Levinson Prize, presented annually since 1914 through the generosity of the late Salmon O. Levinson and his family, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Dean Young for his poems “Handy Guide,” “Crash Test Dummies of an Imperfect God,” and “Dear Bob,” in the November 2011 issues, “Spring Reign” in the February 2012 issue, and “Peach Farm” in the June 2012 issue.
The Bess Hokin Prize, established in 1948 through the generosity of our late friend and guarantor Mrs. David Hokin, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Linda Kunhardt for her poems “Indian Winter,” “Road Work,” “Clifton Webb,” “The Jingle,” and “More Juice Please” in the December 2011 issue.
The Frederick Bock Prize, founded in 1981 by friends in memory of the former associate editor of Poetry, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Ange Mlinko for her poem “Cantata for Lynette Roberts” in the October 2011 issue.
The J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize, endowed since 1994, in the amount of $5,000, is awarded to Eduardo Corral for his poems “To the Angelbeast” and “To Robert Hayden” in the December 2011 issue and “In Colorado My Father Scoured and Stacked Dishes” in the April 2012 issue.
The John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize For Translation, established in 1999 by Bonnie Larkin Nims, trustees of the Poetry Foundation, and friends of the late poet, translator, and editor, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Peter Cole for his translation portfolio “The Poetry of the Kabbalah” in the March 2012 issue.
The Friends of Literature Prize, established in 2002 by the Friends of Literature, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Devin Johnston for his poems in the May 2012 issue, “New Song” and “A Close Shave.”
The Editors Prize for Feature Article, established in 2005, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Mary Ruefle for her essays in the June 2012 and July/August 2012 issues, “On Fear” and “I Remember, I Remember.”
The Editors Prize for Reviewing, established in 2004, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Adam Kirsch for his review of The Letters of T.S. Eliot, Volume 1 and 2 in the January 2012 issue.
Past Winners by Prize and Year
The Levinson Prize has been presented annually since 1914 through the generosity of the late Salmon O. Levinson and his family, and is now permanently endowed. Past winners include:
|
Carl Sandburg 1914 |
James Merrill 1949 |
Ernst Pöppel 1983 |
The Bess Hokin Prize was established in 1947 through the generosity of our late friend and guarantor, Mrs. David Hokin, and is given annually in her memory. Past winners include:
|
William Abrahams 1948 |
Sandra McPherson 1972 |
Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill 1996 |
The Frederick Bock Prize was founded in 1981 by friends of the late former Associate Editor of Poetry. Past winners include:
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John N. Morris 1981 |
Tom Disch 1994 |
Jason Guriel 2007 |
The Union League Civic and Arts Poetry Prize for a young poet was presented annually from 1951 to 1972, and re-established in 1993 to 2006, through the generosity of the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation. Past winners include:
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Horace Gregory 1951 |
William Jay Smith 1963 |
Neal Bowers 1995 |
The J. Howard and Barbara M. J. Wood Prize is presented annually and endowed since 1994 through the generosity of Mrs. Wood. Past winners include:
|
Rebecca McClanahan 1994 |
Stephen Dunn 2001 |
Seth Abramson 2008 |
The John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize for translation work is permanently endowed through a fund established by Bonnie Larkin Nims, Trustees of The Poetry Foundation, and friends of the late poet, translator, and Editor of Poetry. Past winners include:
Rita Dove and Fred Viebahn 1999
Andrew Shields 2000
Marilyn Hacker 2001
Eavan Boland 2002
Reginald Gibbons and Charles Segal 2003
Sherod Santos 2004
Clare Cavanagh 2005
Geoffrey Brock 2006
Michael Hofmann 2007
Philip Nikolayev 2008
Susanna Nied 2009
Laura Leichum 2010
A.E. Stallings 2011
Peter Cole 2012
The Friends of Literature Prize was established in 2002 by The Friends of Literature, founded in Chicago in 1934 to study literature and to honor those who create it. Past winners include:
Gregory Djanikian 2002
Susan Kinsolving 2003
Ralph Sneeden 2004
Nance Van Winckel 2005
Dana Levin 2006
Todd Hearon 2007
Leila Wilson 2008
Sandra Beasley 2009
Spencer Reece 2010
Sina Queyras 2011
Devin Johnston 2012
The Editors Prize for Criticism was established in 2004 by the Poetry Foundation.
Michael Hofmann 2004
Editors Prize for Feature Article was established in 2005 by the Poetry Foundation.
Mary Kinzie 2005
Tony Hoagland 2006
Clive James 2007
Vivian Gornick 2008
Daisy Fried 2009
Durs Grünbein 2010
Joshua Mehigan 2011
Mary Ruefle 2012
Editors Prize for Book Reviewing was established in 2005 by the Poetry Foundation.
D.H. Tracy 2005
David Orr 2006
Brian Phillips 2007
Ange Mlinko 2008
Jason Guriel 2009
Abigail Deutsch 2010
Peter Campion 2011
Adam Kirsch 2012
The Editors Prize for Best Letter was established in 2009 by the Poetry Foundation.
Reagan Upshaw 2009
Daniel Brett Clendening 2010
Belle Randall 2011
