$1,000 cash prize and publication by Wesleyan University Press
Submission period: February 1–29, 2024
Submission fee: $25
Submit through Submittable
Guidelines
- Author must be aged 40 or older by December 31, 2024 .
- Author must not have published a poetry book or not have published a new original poetry collection within the last 10 years. (“Poetry book” is understood to be a collection of the author’s work totaling more than 40 pages, and does not include self-published works, anthologies, or books of fiction or non-fiction.)
- Manuscripts must be primarily in English.
- Manuscript must be the sole creation of the author.
- Translations will not be considered.
- Submission length: 48–64 pages, using an 8 1/2 x 11 inch page, 1 inch margins and 12 point font.
About the Prize
The Cardinal Poetry Prize was conceived by John Murillo, poet and Associate Professor of English at Wesleyan University, as a unique opportunity for serious poets who have taken their time and decided not to rush publication, for the studious, rigorous, midnight oil burning, patient ones who are finally satisfied that they have something worthy of readers. The winner will be selected by the guest judge following an initial screening process conducted by coeditors Murillo and Suzanna Tamminen, Director and Editor-in-Chief of Wesleyan University Press.
About Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky grew up in Long Branch, NJ, an historic seashore resort described in his recent autobiography Jersey Breaks. His most recent book of poetry is At the Foundling Hospital, with a new book of poems, Proverbs of Limbo, appearing next year. His PoemJazz album of the same title— Proverbs of Limbo— with musicians including Laurence Hobgood and Mino Cinélu, is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Other works include the best-selling translation The Inferno of Dante and The Life of David, on the Biblical figure. Previous books of poetry include his Selected Poems and Gulf Music.
His honors include the Korean Manhae Award, the Italian Premio Capri and the Harold Washington Award of the City of Chicago. He has honorary degrees from institutions including Stanford University, The New School, and the University of Michigan.
Robert Pinsky’s first two terms as United States Poet Laureate met such enthusiastic national response that he was appointed to an unprecedented third term. As Laureate, Pinsky founded the Favorite Poem Project, in which thousands of American readers, of varying backgrounds, ages, and regions, read their favorite poems. The videos at favoritepoem.org show that poetry has a vigorous presence in American culture.
Pinsky is a William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University. He is the only member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters to have appeared on The Colbert Report and The Simpsons.
