THE POETRY SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA IS PROUD TO SPONSOR ITS ANNUAL BOOK AWARD WITH A $1,000 PRIZE, PLUS AN INVITATION TO READ AT ITS ANNUAL SPRING FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN APRIL 2026.
SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE OF A FULL-LENGTH COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL POETRY IN ENGLISH, PUBLISHED IN NORTH AMERICA IN 2025 (THE YEAR PRIOR TO THE YEAR THE AWARD IS GIVEN).
GENERAL CONTEST GUIDELINES:
- STYLE, SUBJECT, AND LENGTH REQUIREMENTS:
THE BOOK MUST BE THE WORK OF A SINGLE AUTHOR, AT LEAST 50 PAGES LONG, ON ANY TOPIC AND IN ANY POETRY STYLE. MANUSCRIPTS, VIDEOS, CDS, CHAPBOOKS, AND SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE, NOR ARE BOOKS THAT HAVE ALREADY WON AN AWARD. HOWEVER, BOOKS THAT HAVE WON A PRE-PUBLICATION AWARD BY THE PUBLISHING PRESS REMAIN ELIGIBLE.
- BOOKS BY FRIENDS, CLOSE COLLEAGUES, STUDENTS OR FORMER STUDENTS OF THE FINAL JUDGE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. (SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR’S JUDGE.)
- SUBMIT THREE COPIES OF THE BOOK AND A COMPLETED ENTRY FORM, DOWNLOADABLE FROM THE POETRY SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA WEBSITE, AS WELL AS YOUR ENTRY FEE (SEE BELOW), TO:
SOFIA M. STARNES
PSV BOOK AWARD CHAIR
4951 BURNLEY DRIVE
WILLIAMSBURG, VA 23188.
- ENTRY FEE: $36 FOR NON-PSV-MEMBER; $25 FOR PSV MEMBERS.
FORMS OF PAYMENT:
CHECK MADE OUT TO THE POETRY SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA, OR
PAYPAL, VIA THE PSV WEBSITE
PLEASE INCLUDE THE CHECK OR PAYPAL RECEIPT WITH YOUR BOOK SUBMISSION.
- SUBMISSION PERIOD: FROM OCTOBER 15, 2025, TO JANUARY 15, 2026 (POSTMARK DATE).
THIS YEAR’S FINAL JUDGE: MATTIE QUESENBERRY SMITH
THIS YEAR’S FINAL JUDGE IS MATTIE QUESENBERRY SMITH, CURRENT VIRGINIA POET LAUREATE. MATTIE QUESENBERRY SMITH RECEIVED A PH.D. IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION FROM VPI & SU (WINTER, 2024) AND HOLDS AN M.A. IN CREATIVE WRITING FROM HOLLINS UNIVERSITY, AS WELL AS A B.A. IN BIOLOGY AND ENGLISH LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING. SHE TEACHES FIRST-YEAR WRITING AND RHETORIC AT VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE (VMI) WHERE SHE INTEGRATES STEM TOPICS INTO HER WRITING AND RHETORIC COURSES AND RESEARCHES THE IMPACTS OF WRITING IN INTEGRATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING DESIGN-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING. SHE WRITES SCREENPLAYS, ARTICLES, REVIEWS, POEMS, AND SHORT STORIES; AND ORGANIZES COMMUNITIES FOR WRITERS ACROSS EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LEVELS.
FOR ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT SOFIA M. STARNES, CONTEST CHAIR, AT smstarnes@cox.net or bookaward@poetrysocietyofvirginia.org.
Poetry Society of Virginia 