The White Pine Press Poetry Prize was established in 1996 to enrich our literary heritage by providing a publication opportunity for U.S. poets.

Manuscripts are screened by the editorial staff, and are then sent to a poet of national reputation, who makes the final selection. The name of the final judge is not revealed until the end of the competition. White Pine Press makes every effort to select judges who reflect the multicultural focus of the press. Additionally, we alternate between a male and a female poet each year as final judge.

The competition opens for submissions on July 1st of each year.
Manuscripts must be postmarked by November 30th.

Mansucripts must be between 60 and 80 pages in length. Poems must be original, but may have appeared in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks. Translations are not eligible.

Manuscripts must be typed and should include a table of contents. The author’s name, address and telephone number should appear on the cover sheet only. Please include acknowledgments for all previously published work that appears in the manuscript.

Manuscripts will be recycled at the end of the competition. If you wish to be notifed as to the winner, please include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope with your submission.

Manuscripts must include a $20 entry fee. Checks should be made payable to White Pine Press.

The manuscript, along with a self-addressed, stamped postcard for notification that it has been received, if so desired, should be sent to:

White Pine Press Poetry Prize
P.O. Box 236
Buffalo, New York 14201

Should it be necessary to use express mail services that do not deliver to post office boxes, the manuscript should be sent to:

White Pine Press Poetry Prize
5783 Pinehurst Court
Lake View, NY 14085

Previous winners and judges are:

Paper Pavilion
by Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, selected by Genie Zeiger

The Trouble with a Short Horse in Montana
by Roy Bentley, selected by John Brandi

The Precarious Rhetoric of Angels
by George Looney, selected by Nin Andrews

The Burning Point
by Frances Richey, selected by Stephen Corey

Watching Cartoons Before Attending a Funeral
by John Surowiecki, selected by C. D. Wright

My Father Sings, To My Embarrassment
by Sandra Castillo, selected by Cornelius Eady

If Not For These Wrinkles of Darkness
by Stephen Frech, selected by Pattiann Rogers

Trouble in History
by David Keller, selected by Pablo Medina

Winged Insects
by Joel Long, selected by Jane Hirshfield

A Gathering of Mother Tongues
by Jacqueline Joan Johnson, selected by Maurice Kenny

Bodily Course
by Deborah Gorlin, selected by Mekeel McBride

Zoo & Cathedral
by Nancy Johnson, selected by David St. John