National Poetry Series

The National Poetry Series, together with Miami Book Fair will award one $2,000 prize every other year (in even years) for the publication of a previously unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident.  The prize will recognize book-length manuscripts of poetry written in Spanish. Translations, works of literary criticism and scholarly texts do not qualify. The next Paz Prize competition will open May 1, 2024.
 The winner will be selected by an esteemed Spanish-speaking poet.  The chosen book will be translated into English by an experienced translator, and will be published in a bilingual edition.
Eligible poets include:
 

• U.S. Citizens
• Residents of the United States for a ten-year period prior to January 1 of the prize year, 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.

Manuscripts are submitted online only via Submittable. The entry period for the 2024 Open Competition begins on May 1, 2024 and runs through (and including) June 15, 2024.
 

1. All manuscripts must be previously unpublished in their complete form, although some or all of the individual poems may have appeared in periodicals.
2. Translations, chapbooks, small groups of poems, and self-published books are not eligible.
3. Manuscript length is not limited. However, a length of 48-64 pages is suggested.
4. Manuscripts must be paginated and contain a Table of Contents.

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ANONYMOUS. Please observe the following:   The cover page of the manuscript should list the title of the manuscript only. No personal information of any kind, including name, address, phone number or email address should appear anywhere within the manuscript. All contact information will be entered separately in the entrant’s Submittable account. Any manuscript containing personal information will not be considered for review.

1. Please also do not include:  Acknowledgments, explanatory statements, resumes, autobiographical statements, photographs, illustrations, or artwork.
2. A list of previous publications or appearances in periodicals should not be included.
3. When saving manuscripts, entrants should not “name” the manuscript with their last name in their personal computer storage, as that will appear when the reader opens the manuscript. For example: John Smith should not save his manuscript as “Smith_Poetry _Manuscript.doc.”
4. No additions, deletions, or substitutions are allowed once a manuscript has been submitted. Entrants should inform NPS immediately if their manuscript is selected for publication elsewhere.

Finalists for the award will be notified in mid July, and the winner will be announced in mid to late August.  Information relating to the competition will be available at nationalpoetryseries.org and miambookfair.com.
 For more information, please contact Beth Dial, Coordinator, The National Poetry Series, 57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540, or bethdial@nationalpoetryseries.org