Submit to the 2020 Cave Canem Poetry Prize

The 2020 Cave Canem Poetry Prize is now open for submission! Launched in 1999 with Rita Dove’s selection of Natasha Trethewey’s Domestic Work, this first-book award is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by Black poets of African descent, and is presented in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Press. All Black writers of African descent who have not had a full-length book of poetry published by a professional press are welcome to submit.
The winner receives $1,000, publication by University of Pittsburgh Press in fall 2021, 15 copies of the book and a feature reading.
This year’s prize judge is Douglas Kearney. Manuscripts are accepted online via Submittable, now through March 9, 2020. Visit the prize page for guidelines.