The 4th Annual Annette Allen Poetry Prize is accepting submissions through December 20, 2025
First prize $300 + Publication in The Louisville Review
First prize $300 + Publication in The Louisville Review
We are thrilled to announce that poet Julia Johnson will serve as Judge for the 4th Annual Annette Allen Poetry Prize.
• Open to all university and college students residing in the Louisville Metro area, graduate and undergraduate, in all departments and programs.
• One Prize Winner will receive a cash award of $300 and publication of their winning poem in The Louisville Review, a national literary magazine in print publication since 1976.
• Two Honorable Mentions will receive a cash award of $50.
• Up to two Runners Up will receive a copy of Allen’s poetry collection, The Cruel Radiance of What Is (2019).
• All awarded writers will read at the Annette Allen Poetry Prize Celebration at the 53rd Annual Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture at the University of Louisville, 11:00 AM, Friday, February 20, 2026.
• Students may submit one manuscript containing 1-5 previously unpublished poems.
• Students from all disciplines are encouraged to write and submit poems—no prior poetry experience is required!
• Students are encouraged to submit poetry that engages the arts and/or humanities. Such poems might incorporate reflections on or, descriptions of, visual art, music, literature, ecology, environment, identity, gender, history, dance, myth, philosophical texts, etc.
• We enthusiastically welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities, including minority, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ writers. We value poetry that draws on diverse perspectives, and we welcome poetry in a variety of registers, modes, and styles.
• Judge reads all submissions blind. Entries are evaluated solely on the quality of the work submitted.
• Notifications will be sent to all entrants at the beginning of the spring 2026 semester.
Nota Bene: Entrants are strongly encouraged to read some of Allen’s poems on the website as examples of poetic engagement with the arts and humanities. All poetic styles and original voices are welcome and there is no need to imitate Annette Allen's poems.
