Not sure what to do this week? If you”re a poet writing in English, you could use the week to put the final polish on a book length manuscript of poetry (60-100 pages) for submission to the Akron Poetry Prize, University of Akron Press presented annually by the University of Akron Press. First prize is $1000 and publication of the winning manuscript. Past winners include Fire Wheel (Sharmila Voorakkara) and How We Spent Our Time (Vern Rutsala). Submissions for the 2006 award open May 15.

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The Akron Series in Poetry has been founded to bring to the public writers who speak in original and compelling voices. Each year, The University of Akron Press will offer the Akron Poetry Prize, a competition open to all poets writing in English. The winning poet will receive $1,000 and publication of his or her book. The final selection will be made by a nationally prominent poet. The final judge for 2006 will be B. H. Fairchild. Other manuscripts may also be considered for publication in the series.

Guidelines for Submission
1. Manuscripts must be typed, preferably double-spaced, and consecutively numbered, for a total length between 60 and 100 pages. Clear photocopies are acceptable. Please, do not send manuscripts bound or enclosed in covers.

2. Manuscripts must include a cover page (with author”s name, address, phone number, and manuscript title), a title page (with no biographical information), and an acknowledgements page listing poems previously published in periodicals. Please do not submit manuscripts that have the author”s name on each page. Manuscripts go to the final judge blind.

3. Manuscripts must be postmarked between May 15 and June 30 of each year. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but The University of Akron Press must be notified immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

4. An entry fee of $25 is required for each manuscript submission. Make check or money order payable to The University of Akron Press. The cancelled check will serve as notification of receipt.

5. Include with each submission a stamped, self-addressed postcard for notification of receipt of manuscript, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for notification of contest results in September. No manuscripts can be returned.

6. Books accepted for the Akron Series in Poetry must exhibit three essential qualities: mastery of language, maturity of feeling, and complexity of thought. The University of Akron Press is committed to publishing poetry that, as Robert Frost said, “begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”

Send manuscripts to:
The Akron Poetry Prize
The University of Akron Press
374B Bierce Library
University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325-1703

Akron Poetry Prize Website