Lucy Terry Prince Prize Extended to March 31, Entry Simplified

Lisa Scails | February 11, 2020

In December 2019 we announced our first writing contest, the Lucy Terry Prince Prize for rural poets of color, which honors the legacy of the first known African-American poet in English literature. Major Jackson, celebrated poet and professor at both University of Vermont and Bennington College, is the contest’s inaugural judge. The grand prize is $500, and the winner and two runners-up will be invited to speak at a two-day panel in Vermont on Race, Art, and the Rural in October 2020.

The original deadline for submitting poetry for consideration—February 15—is fast approaching, but we would like to ensure as many poets have a chance to submit as possible. To that end, we are extending the deadline to March 31.

In hopes of making the submission process as accessible as possible, we’ve also removed from the submission form the two questions regarding the poet’s connection to the rural and to Lucy Terry Prince. Why? Because we trust the poetry will speak for the former, and because the contest’s mission to honor Lucy Terry Prince is clearly being fulfilled through all the press we’ve generated—you can read all about it on our press page.

So once again, we encourage all poets of color living in or hailing from a rural area to submit to the first annual Lucy Terry Prince Prize, judged by Major Jackson.

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