Prestigious university press founded 1908 at Yale. Best known for the Yale Series of Younger Poets — America's longest-running poetry prize ($1,000 + publication) for debut US poets, open Oct 1–Nov 15.

Yale University Press

The Yale Series of Younger Poets is seeking submissions for its 2026 competition. The Yale Younger Poets Prize is the oldest annual literary award in the United States and the series champions the most promising new American poets. Winners of the Series will receive a $1000 advance and a publication contract from Yale University Press and one of the six writing fellowships offered at The James Merrill House in Stonington, CT. The fellowship provides a furnished living space and daily access to James Merrill’s apartment for a writer in search of a quiet setting to complete a project of literary or academic merit. The winning poetry manuscript will be selected by the series’ current judge, critically acclaimed poet Monica Youn.

The competition is open to emerging poets who have not previously published a book of poetry and who reside in the United States. Writers who have had chapbooks of poetry printed in editions of no more than 300 copies are eligible.

Yale University Press

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The Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize