Poetry Magazine Prizes

Several prizes are awarded annually for work printed in Poetry during the preceding year. Only poems already published in the magazine are eligible for consideration, and no formal application is necessary. The winners are announced in the December issue. Past prize winners are listed below each prize description.

The Poetry Foundation also administers other awards, grants, and fellowships.

Levinson Prize

The Levinson Prize, presented annually since 1914 through the generosity of the late Salmon O. Levinson and his family, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Harryette Mullen for her poems “What Draws Us Together” and “Inclement Weather” from the November 2024 issue.

Bess Hokin Prize

The Bess Hokin Prize, established in 1948 through the generosity of Poetry’s late friend and guarantor Bess Hokin, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Steven Leyva for his poems “Limerence,” “What You Need to Survive Vernon, OK,” “How to Incorporate a Town,” and “Failing at the Exit Ramp, Icarus Jones Speaks True” in the December 2024 issue.

Frederick Bock Prize

The Frederick Bock Prize, founded in 1981 by friends in memory of the former associate editor of Poetry, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Cheyenne Dakota Williams for her poems “Heritage Diner” and “How to be a drunk ndn” from the March 2025 issue.

J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize

The J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize, endowed since 1994, in the amount of $5,000, is awarded to Latif Askia Ba for his poems “7 août,” “6 février,” and “Syntax” in the October 2024 issue.

John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize for Translation

The John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize for Translation, established in 1999 by Bonnie Larkin Nims, trustees of the Poetry Foundation, and friends of the late poet, translator, and editor, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Ammiel Alcalay, Emna Zghal, and Khaled al-Hilli for their translations from the Arabic of Nasser Rabah’s poems, “Early Absence,” “Water Thirsty for Water,” and “Nocturnal Spirits” in the April 2025 issue.

Friends of Literature Prize

The Friends of Literature Prize, established in 2002 by the Friends of Literature, in the amount of $500, is awarded to Michelle Phương Hồ for her poem “Bone Sympony” in the May 2025 issue.

Editors Prize for Feature Article

The Editors Prize for Feature Article, established in 2005, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to two authors this year: Laura Tohe for her essay “I Am Dressed in My Language” from the March 2025 issue and Chase Berggrun for her essay “‘A slow and difficult process that verged on the ridiculous’: On Erasure” from the May 2025 issue.

Editors Prize for Visual Poetry

The Editors Prize for Visual Poetry, established in 2019, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to Chris Hoshnic for his poem “dáádílkał” in the March 2025 issue.

Windhover Prize

The Windhover Prize, established in 2025 thanks to an anonymous donor, in the amount of five thousand dollars, will be awarded beginning in 2026 in recognition of an outstanding poem published in Poetry magazine.