Donald Justice Poetry Prize

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Donald Justice Poetry Prize
DonaldJusticePoetryPrize.png
The logo as it appears on books that have won
Awarded forunpublished 50–100 typed page
manuscript of formal poetry
CountryUnited States
Presented by WCU Poetry Center
Reward(s)$1,500, publication
First award2006;19 years ago (2006)
Final award2025;0 years ago (2025)
Currently held byP. Scott Cunningham
Website Donald Justice Poetry Prize

The Donald Justice Poetry Prize is an American national competition [1] sponsored by the Spencer Poetry Awards of the West Chester University Poetry Center which Kean W. Spencer created in honor of his mother, Iris N. Spencer. The prize recognizes the distinguished American poet, teacher, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Donald Justice. The WCU Poetry Center welcomes submissions of unpublished, original book-length manuscripts that pay attention to form for consideration in this competition. 

The submissions are judged blindly and selected by a notable poet who works in traditional forms. Past judges have included Major Jackson, Patricia Smith, Cornelius Eady, Erica Dawson, David Mason, [2] A. E. Stallings, [3] and Marilyn Nelson.

The winner receives $1,500 and will have the manuscript published. Prior to 2018, winning poetry collections were either published by Measure Press or West Chester University.

Past winners

The following are the winners of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize: [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Jessica Benham. "Texas Tech University Professor Receives Prestigious Donald Justice Poetry Prize." Texas Tech News. July 14, 2008
  2. "'Julie Kane' interviewed by Derek Alger".
  3. 1 2 Lori A. May "An interview with Ned Balbo." Poets’ Quarterly Issue 3 – Spring 2010
  4. "Contests and Awards – West Chester University". www.wcupa.edu.
  5. "Education briefly." Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. July 21, 2008
  6. "Cenla Campus Spotlight." The Town Talk. Alexandria, La. October 6, 2008.
  7. "John Foy". John Foy.
  8. "The Scorpion's Question Mark". Autumn House Press. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. Christine (March 6, 2023). "Erica Reid's MS Wins the Donald Justice Poetry Prize". Autumn House Press. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. Christine (March 15, 2024). "Winner of the 2024 Donald Justice Poetry Prize announced!". Autumn House Press. Retrieved January 12, 2025.