Writing Competition: 2022 Airlie Prize

Submissions for the 2022 the Airlie Prize will be open January 1st through March 15th, 2022 to all poets writing in English, regardless of place of residence. The winner will be notified in the fall following the submission and will receive a $1000 cash award upon publication of the book in September of the next year. The initial print run is 500 copies.

At Airlie Press, our vision and mission are to publish books of poetry that are compelling, innovative, and representative of diverse voices. To that end, submissions to the Airlie Prize will no longer be read anonymously. As a press, we commit to participating in the ongoing conversation and practice regarding inclusion and equity. We encourage submissions from underrepresented voices and poets from marginalized communities.

In the interest of transparency, we’d like to share our selection process. All manuscripts will be read by two Airlie Press editors (either past or present) and previous Airlie Prize winners. Each reader will choose 2-3 manuscripts to advance to the second round. Our main criteria in reviewing manuscripts is the quality of the work. All current editors will then read the manuscripts that have advanced to the second round, and each will choose their top two selections. From that group of finalists, the prize winner is chosen by consensus among all current editors. If you have submitted to the Airlie Prize before, we encourage you to try again, as the judging team of Airlie Press editors varies from year to year.

Poets previously published or contracted to be published by Airlie Press are ineligible to enter this contest, as are members of the Airlie advisory board. In the case that an entry to the contest is made by a close connection (friend, relative, student, or former student) of one of the Airlie Prize readers, that reader will recuse themselves from the review of that manuscript in the first round. Manuscripts that advance to the final round will be read by all current editors, regardless of connection, and a winner will be chosen by consensus. For the purposes of this contest, we also define “close connection” as anyone with whom a reader has direct correspondence (either written or verbal) once a month or more. As poetry is a relatively small community, we believe a passing acquaintance with one of the readers does not necessitate a recusal.

Submissions are accepted via Submittable during the submission period.

Entry fee: $25 ($33 if you would like to receive a copy of the winning book; $38 for those residing outside the US wishing to receive the book).

Full guidelines and submission link here.