Let your poetic voice be heard!
The University Libraries invites UB undergraduate and graduate students to participate in our annual poetry competitions. Entries are due by Friday, March 14 at 11:59pm in the following categories:
- The Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize
$100 prize for the best poem or group of poems submitted by a UB graduate student. - The Friends of the University Libraries Undergraduate Poetry Prize
$200 prize for the best poem or group of poems submitted by a UB undergraduate student. - The Academy of American Poets Prize
$200 prize for the best poem or group of poems submitted by a UB undergraduate or graduate student.
April 2025 update:
We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s awards:
The Dan Liberthson Poetry Prize:
“Hold, Puuku” by Joseph Baiz
The Friends of the University Libraries Undergraduate Poetry Prize:
“[My disfigurement calling and calling and finding only white sky, black rock, enormous silence like an unfurling in the throat.]” by Jonah Ruddock
Honorable mention: “you know what you are” by Juno Hunter
The Academy of American Poets Prize:
“Self-Portrait in a Cell Phone Camera after John Ashbery’s Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror” by Julianne Neely
Congratulations everyone!
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2025 submission guidelines:
- Each entry must be submitted as Word document (.doc, .docx). Do not send as a PDF.
- You must provide a cover sheet with the following information:
- first and last name; you may use your preferred name
- mailing address
- UB email
- phone number
- the name(s) of the prize(s) you are entering
- You may enter one or more poems not to exceed 5 pages.
- You may enter up to two prizes. If you enter different poems for each prize, send a separate Word document with a cover sheet and poem(s) for each prize.
- Your name must not appear on your poem(s); include your name on the cover sheet only.
- Email your cover sheet and poem(s) as a single attachment to Lynn Lasota, lmlasota@buffalo.edu
- You will receive an email within two business days confirming receipt. If you do not receive confirmation, it means we did not receive your submission. You must follow up with us before the deadline for your entry to be considered.
For additional information, please contact: The Poetry Collection of the University Libraries at lpo-poetry@buffalo.edu.
By submitting to these prizes you agree to have your submission added to the Annual Student Poetry Contest records in the University Archives, to allow the University Archives to make preservation and access copies, and to the possibility that they may be displayed online in the future for educational purposes.