The Poetry in Translation Prize is a biennial award for an outstanding poetry collection translated into English. The prize is open to living, published poets from around the world, writing in any language. The winning poet and translator receive an advance of $5,000, to be shared equally between poet and translator, followed by simultaneous publication in North America with New Directions, in the UK and Ireland with Fitzcarraldo Editions, and in Australia and New Zealand with Giramondo.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please read these eligibility and entry rules carefully before submitting. Submission of an entry is taken as acceptance of the entry rules. For any queries not covered below, please write to [email protected].
1. The prize is open to living, published poets around the world writing in any language except English.
2. Submissions should contain a sample of 15-25 translated poems, or 15-25 pages – whichever is greater. All submissions should be made by the translator. Submissions will open on 15 July.
3. Each submission should include a cover letter including a biographical note for both poet and translator, contact details and a brief outline of the full poetry collection.
4. Submissions must be for a book of a minimum of 48 pages in English. With rare exceptions at the discretion of the judges, the finished book must not exceed 112 pages in English.
5. The submission must be original and not AI-generated.
6. Entries that are incomplete, corrupted or submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
7. The entry must be the entrant’s own original creation and must not infringe upon the right or copyright of any person or entity.
8. Translators may only submit once per entry period.
9. When submitting, translators must have confirmation that the underlying rights holder has granted their written permission for both submission and hypothetical publication. This is a requirement for shortlisting and will be confirmed by the publishers at the shortlisting stage with a signed letter from the original rights holder.
10. The poet can have been published in English previously, but the submitted full-length book must not have been published before in the English language. Individual poems from the book can have been published in English with the understanding that no more than 25 per cent of the whole would have been previously published in translation. Details of prior publication in English must be given in the submission.
11. The prize encourages submissions of single-volume work, but welcomes pitches for selected poems. If submitting towards a collection of selected poems, please consider the book’s conceptual frame and coherence.
12. Poets and translators who have existing contracts for other texts, or who have previously held contracts with publishers, are eligible to enter.
13. The publishers will commission a full-length collection from the winning sample, which will be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, New Directions and Giramondo as part of their poetry lists.
14. Submissions will open on 15 July 2025 and close on 15 August at midnight EST.
15. A shortlist will be announced by November 2025, with the winner announced in January 2026 and published in 2027.
16. There are no age restrictions, and we welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds.
17. All submissions should include page numbers.
18. Only submissions via the submissions portal (open from 15 July 2025) will be considered; entries by post will not be considered.
19. Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions reserve the right to organise a meeting or phone call with all shortlisted translators and poets before the award of the prize.
20. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted.
21. No editorial feedback will be provided to unsuccessful entrants.
22. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.
23. Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions will have the exclusive world English rights to publish the winning text.
24. Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions reserve the right not to award the prize, or to make multiple offers of publication.
25. Only submissions which meet all Terms and Conditions will be considered.
26. By entering this competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.