Submissions Open for the Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets
Emerging Caribbean poets have an opportunity to bring their first full-length poetry collection to publication through the Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets. The annual prize awards the winning poet a US$1,000 cash prize and publication of their manuscript by the University of Nebraska Press.
The competition celebrates new voices in Caribbean poetry and is open to eligible writers of Caribbean origin, regardless of where they currently reside. There is no entry fee to submit.
Who Can Apply?
The prize is open to Caribbean writers who have not previously published a book-length collection of poetry. This includes self-published collections sold online, in shops, or at readings. Writers who have edited and published anthologies or similar collections of other writers' work remain eligible.
For the purposes of the competition, a Caribbean writer is someone who meets at least one of the following criteria:
Was born in the Caribbean.
Is a national or resident of a Caribbean country.
Has Caribbean parents.
Submissions must be written in English. Poetry translated into English from another language is also eligible, although a portion of the prize will be awarded to the translator.
Current or former paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press or Akashic Books, as well as current faculty, students, and employees of Brown University, are not eligible.
Manuscript Requirements
Before submitting, applicants should ensure their manuscripts meet the following requirements:
The manuscript must contain at least 50 pages.
The author's name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
The cover page must include the manuscript's title only, without the author's name or contact details.
An acknowledgements page listing the publication history of individual poems may be included, if desired.
No application form is required.
There are no strict formatting rules, but Times New Roman or Arial in 12-point font, single-spaced, is recommended. The organisers also prefer one poem per page, with each new poem beginning on a fresh page.
Eligible writers may submit more than one manuscript.
Submission Period
Manuscripts are accepted annually from September 15 to December 1. There is no reading or submission fee.
Poets interested in entering the competition can submit their manuscripts online through the official submission portal:
Submit your manuscript to the Neville Dawes First Book Prize
For emerging Caribbean poets, this prize offers an opportunity to share their work with a wider readership and take an important step towards publishing their first poetry collection.
