Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize Grant

The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, established in 1975, awards $25,000 to the best book of poetry published in the U.S. the previous year. It includes a ten-day residency at Glen Hollow, New York, and distribution to Academy of American Poets members. Eligible poets must be U.S. citizens or residents and submit original works published in the prior year. Self-published books and translations are ineligible, promoting excellence in contemporary American poetry.

Established in 1975, this $25,000 award recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the United States in the previous calendar year. The prize includes a ten-day residency at Glen Hollow in Naples, New York, and distribution of the winning book to hundreds of Academy of American Poets members.
The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize honors the memory of Lenore Marshall (1897-1971), a poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist. She was the author of three novels, three books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and selections from her notebooks. Her work appeared in such distinguished literary magazines as The New Yorker, The Saturday Review, and Partisan Review. In 1956 she helped found the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, the citizens’ organization that lobbied successfully for passage of the 1963 partial nuclear test ban treaty. In 1994, the Academy was selected by the New Hope Foundation to administer the award.

Eligibility

Any poet who meets one of the below criteria on the date of the application deadline, in any given year, is eligible:U.S. Citizen; or,resident of the United States for the ten-year period prior to the submission deadline; or,Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Legal Permanent Status (LPS), or any subsequent categories designated by the U.S. authorities as conferring similar enhanced status upon non-citizens living in the United States.Please note: By law the Academy of American Poets must report cash prizes awarded to individuals to the Internal Revenue Service. If individuals have a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the individual will receive a 1099. If the individual does not have an SSN or ITIN, the individual will receive a 1042 and could be subject to a withholding of a percentage of the cash prize.The 2026 contest is open to any book of original poetry, in English, published in the United States during 2025 in a standard edition (48 pages or more) by a living poet.Books must be submitted in the year after their publication, which means that books published in 2026 may not be submitted for consideration until 2027.Publishers may submit as many titles as they wish.Please also note: It’s the mission of the Academy of American Poets to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.

Ineligibility

Self-published books are not eligible.Translations and new editions of previously published books are not eligible.