Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poetry Opens; Submissions Due December 1

# What the prize is Poetry is an annual award for poets who have not yet published a full-length poetry collection. The prize is administered as part of the African Poetry Book Fund and includes a $1,000 award plus publication by the University of Nebraska Press.

# Who can enter Eligibility is limited to "first book" submissions: writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. Self-published full-length poetry collections that have been sold online, in stores, or at readings count as published and thus make a writer ineligible. Editors who have published anthologies or collections of other writers' work remain eligible.

People who are past or present paid employees of the University of Nebraska Press, Akashic Books, or Amalion Press, and current faculty, students, or employees at Brown University, are ineligible.

# Manuscript requirements and format There is no entry fee. Submissions are electronic only and go through Submittable. Key manuscript guidelines:

• Minimum length: 50 pages.
• Submit anonymously: the manuscript itself must not include the author's name, address, phone number, or email. Only a separate cover page should list the title.
• You may include an acknowledgements page that notes prior publication history for individual poems.
• No application form is required.
• Entrants may submit more than one manuscript.
• While strict formatting rules aren't enforced, organizers suggest Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point font, single-spaced, and one poem per page.

# Judges and timeline The prize will be judged by the Sillerman Editorial Team, which includes Kwame Dawes, Chris Abani, Matthew Shenoda, John Keene, Gabeba Baderoon, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Aracelis Girmay, and Mahtem Shiferraw. Submissions open annually on September 15 and close on December 1. A winner will be announced in June.

# Practical steps to submit

# What the prize offers The winner receives $1,000 and publication via the University of Nebraska Press as part of the African Poetry Book Fund. If the winning manuscript is a translation, the translator receives a percentage of the prize.

# Why submit This prize provides a route to a first full-length publication with an academic press and an opportunity to reach readers through the African Poetry Book Fund's distribution and editorial networks.