Past Awards

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Emily Dickinson First Book Award

The Emily Dickinson First Book Award is designed to recognize an American poet of at least 40 years of age who has yet to publish a first collection of poetry. The most recent recipient of this award was Kristen Tracy in 2017 for her collection Half-Hazard.

Randall Jarrell Award in Criticism

The Randall Jarrell Award in Criticism recognized poetry criticism aimed at a large general readership rather than an audience of specialists.

Mark Twain Poetry Award

The Mark Twain Poetry Award of $25,000 recognized a poet’s contributions to humor in American poetry.

Neglected Masters Award

The Neglected Masters Award of $50,000 brought to the reading public renewed critical attention to the work of an under-recognized yet significant American poet. If previously unpublished or no longer in print, the works of Neglected Masters were published in collaboration with the Library of America.

Verse Drama Prize

The Verse Drama Prize honored a living poet who had written a previously unpublished, outstanding original verse drama in English. The award recipient received a cash prize of $10,000 and a staged reading of the winning manuscript in Chicago.