Writing Competition: Loraine Williams Poetry Prize

We are pleased to announce that Brandon Som will serve as the final judge for the 2025 Loraine Williams Poetry Prize. Each year one winner gets $1,500 and publication. We also publish three finalists, each of whom receives $200.

Brandon Som’s Tripas (Georgia Review Books, 2023) won a Pulitzer Prize in poetry and was a finalist for a National Book Award. He is also the author of The Tribute Horse, winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the chapbook Babel’s Moon. He lives on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay Nation and is an associate professor of literature and creative writing at the University of California San Diego.

Submissions to be considered for the Loraine Williams Poetry Prize must be sent either through Submittable from March 1 through May 15 or by regular mail postmarked within the same span of time.

Submissions cost $25. The winning poem will appear in The Georgia Review. All submitted poems will be considered for publication; any selected will be paid our regular poetry honorarium of $4 per line.

Entry requirements: Only one entry per submitter. An entry may include one, two, or three poems, but no more than a total of ten standard pages in 12-point or larger type. Work previously published in any form will not be considered. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, however please let us know if the work has been accepted elsewhere.

Translations are not allowed, as we do not have the capacity to effectively judge translations for this prize. We do accept translations for general submissions.

Postal submissions: Include (1) a cover letter that provides your phone number and email address, (2) a self-addressed and stamped envelope for notice of whether your work has been selected for publication, and (3) a check for $25 for your entry fee. Checks should be made payable to The Georgia Review, and envelopes should be addressed to:

The Georgia Review Prose Prize

The Georgia Review, Room 706A Main Library

University of Georgia

Athens, GA 30602-9009

Please note that students, faculty, staff, and administrators currently affiliated with the University of Georgia are ineligible for the LWPP. Intimate friends, relatives, colleagues, and former or current students of a judge are also ineligible to enter. Previous winners of our contest should wait three years before entering again.

Submit your entry here.