Derrick Austin will judge tenth New Southern Voices Poetry Book Prize

Hub City Press is pleased to announce that Derrick Austin will judge the tenth biennial New Southern Voices Poetry Book Prize. The prize will now award an increased advance of $1,500 and publication to the winner. Submissions open on January 1, 2025.

Derrick Austin was born in Homestead, Florida. He received a BA from the University of Tampa and, in 2014, an MFA from the University of Michigan. He is the author ofTenderness (BOA Editions, 2021), winner of the 2021 Isabella Gardener Award, and Trouble the Water (BOA Editions, 2016), selected by Mary Szybist for the 2015 A. Poulin Jr. Prize. A Cave Canem fellow, he is the recipient of fellowships from The Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing and Stanford University. He currently lives in Oakland, California. Derrick is a former Hub City Writers Project writer-in-residence, and we are thrilled to welcome him back as our tenth judge of our poetry prize. 

The New Southern Voices Poetry Prize is open to poets who have either never published a full-length collection of poetry, or who have only published one full-length collection. Entrants must currently reside in and have had residency in one or more of the following states for a minimum of 24 consecutive months: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Residency will be verified before the prize winner is announced.)

Manuscripts should be between 48-120 pages for this contest. Submissions will be taken through online submission only. All manuscripts will be read anonymously by first-level judges and eight finalists will be submitted to Derrick Austin, who will select the winner and runner-up. This contest is guided by the CLMP Code of Ethics.

FULL PRIZE GUIDELINES

Previous winners of the New Southern Voices Poetry Book Prize include: The Girl Who Became a Rabbit, Emilie Menzel (2024); Thresh & Hold, Marlanda Dekine (2022); Mustard, Milk and Gin by Megan Denton Ray (2020); Rodeo in Reverse by Lindsey Alexander (2018); Wedding Pulls by J.K. Daniels (2016); and Pantry by Lilah Hegnauer (2014). Hub City Press will publish the winning book for this prize cycle in 2026.