The University of Akron Press seeks manuscripts of interest to our readers.
The Akron Series in Poetry publishes at least two new books of poetry every year, mainly through our long-running Akron Poetry Prize. We also publish scholarship on poetics. We are not considering proposals for poetry anthologies at this time.
Note: Poetry manuscripts are only accepted through the Akron Poetry Prize between April 15 and June 15 of each year.
Each year, the University of Akron Press offers the Akron Poetry Prize, a competition open to all poets writing in English. The winning poet receives $1,500 and publication of their book as part of the Akron Series in Poetry. The final selection will be made by a nationally prominent poet. Other manuscripts may also be considered for publication in the series.
We will accept submissions for the 2024 Akron Poetry Prize competition from April 15, 2024 through June 15, 2024. The final judge for 2024 is Matthew Olzmann.
Guidelines for Submission
1. Manuscripts must be a total length of at least 48 pages and no longer than 90 pages. Individual poems may have appeared in chapbooks or literary magazines, but we are unable to consider collections that have been previously published as a full-length volume. Translations are not eligible.
2. Manuscripts must not include identifying information, but should have a title page, and may include an acknowledgments page listing poems previously published in periodicals (if applicable). Please do not submit manuscripts that have the author's name on each page, or any biographical information. Manuscripts will go to the judge without identifying information. Be sure that your Submittable account reflects your updated contact information, as we will use this information when contacting you.
3. Manuscripts will be accepted via Submittable between April 15 and June 15 of each year. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but The University of Akron Press must be notified immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions are accepted. Please note that once submitted, manuscripts cannot be modified by the author.
4. An entry fee of $25 is required for each manuscript submission, and will be collected through Submittable.
5. Contest results will be posted on our website www.uakron.edu/uapress/poetryprizewinner by September 30. Questions may be sent to uapress@uakron.edu.
6. Intimate friends, relatives, current and former students of the final judge (students in an academic, degree-conferring program or its equivalent), and current faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the University of Akron or the Northeast Ohio MFA Program (NEOMFA) are not eligible to enter the Akron Poetry Prize competition.
2024 Final Judge
Matthew Olzmann is the author of Constellation Route as well as two previous collections of poetry: Mezzanines and Contradictions in the Design. A recipient of fellowships from Kundiman, MacDowell, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Olzmann’s poems have appeared in the New York Times, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prizes, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. He is an assistant professor at Dartmouth College and also teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.
The University of Akron Press seeks manuscripts of interest to our readers.
For our readers in and of Northeast Ohio, we are always looking for new books on our history and culture. We've published books on our people and neighborhoods, our institutions, our sports teams, our parks, and through our cookbooks, on our food.
For readers all over the world, we publish peer-reviewed books and collections on the history and culture of Akron and Ohio. In our Bliss Institute series, we publish scholarship on applied politics. With the Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, we publish books and textbooks on the history of psychology. We do not publish fiction.
The Akron Series in Poetry brings forth at least two new books of poetry every year, mainly through our prestigious and long-running Akron Poetry Prize. We also publish scholarship on poetics. We are not considering poetry anthologies at this time.
We accept unsolicited proposals for scholarly and trade books on topics related to our series. Visit our website to learn more about our series titles to determine if your project fits with our list. To submit a book proposal, upload the requested documents.