2012 Dorset Prize Guidelines

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The Dorset Prize includes a cash award of $3,000 in addition to publication by Tupelo Press, a book launch, and national distribution with energetic publicity and promotion. Manuscripts are judged anonymously and all finalists will be considered for publication. Please read the complete guidelines before submitting your manuscript.

Who May Submit

The Dorset Prize is open to anyone writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad. Translations are not eligible for this prize, nor are previously self-published books. Employees of Tupelo Press and authors previously published by Tupelo Press are not eligible.

Poets submitting work for consideration may be published authors or writers without prior book publications. While the first three winners of the annual Dorset Prize were first books (the anonymous process seems to work), we receive many submissions from poets with significant publishing histories, including previous books, so the competition is intense. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether to enter a manuscript for the Dorset Prize.

Manuscript Requirements & Ethical Guidelines

Submit a previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscript with a table of contents. There is no mandatory page count. We suggest in the area of 48 to 88 pages, but all manuscripts will be read and considered with full respect, regardless of length, and no manuscript will be rejected simply because it's shorter or longer.

Include two cover pages: one with the title of the manuscript only, the other with title of manuscript, name, address, telephone number, and email address. Cover letters or biography notes are optional; if included, these will not be read until the conclusion of the contest.

Individual poems in a contest manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies, or chapbooks, but the work as a whole must be unpublished. If applicable, include with your manuscript an acknowledgments page for prior publications.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers or contests are permitted, as long as you notify Tupelo Press promptly if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

Before you submit a manuscript to a Tupelo Press competition, please consider exploring the work of the poets we have published. Were drawn to technical virtuosity combined with abundant imagination; memorable, vivid imagery and strikingly musical approaches to language; willingness to take risks; and an ability to convey penetrating insights into human experience.

Tupelo Press endorses and abides by the Ethical Guidelines of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), which can be reviewed here, along with more about Tupelo Presss ethical considerations for literary contests.

Notifications

To confirm receipt of your manuscript, include a self-addressed stamped postcard.
The online Submissions Manager automatically confirms receipt.

To receive notification of the winner and finalists, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
An email announcement will also be sent to all entrants.

Beyond these notifications, kindly refrain from requesting an individual response to confirm receipt of your manuscript and/or payment. Both the electronic submission manager and the PayPal system offer automated confirmations. We receive thousands of manuscripts each year and cannot offer individual acknowledgments. Thank you for your understanding.

Please do not enclose a SASE for return of manuscript. All manuscripts will be recycled at the conclusion of the competition, except those under consideration for future publication.

Deadline

All entries must be postmarked or certified by our online Submission Manager by midnight of December 31, 2012.

Results

Results will be announced in late April 2013. We notify all entrants in three ways:

1. Via postal mail to those who included a SASE with their manuscript.
2. Via email to those who included an email address with their contact information.
3. We post the results on our website.

Reading Fee

A reading fee of $28 (U.S.) must accompany each submission. Multiple submissions are accepted, so long as each submission is accompanied by a separate $28 reading fee. Why a reading fee? We are an independent, nonprofit literary press. Reading fees help defray, but do not entirely cover, the cost of reviewing manuscripts and publishing the many books we select outside of our competitions.

There are two ways to pay:

1. Send a check or money order, payable to Tupelo Press.
2. Pay via PayPal, either with your own PayPal account, or with your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex).

Submit Your Manuscript Now

There are two ways to submit your manuscript:

1. Via postal mail. Be sure to include your check, money order, or copy of your PayPal receipt.

Mail your domestic submission to:
Tupelo Press Dorset Prize, PO Box 1767, North Adams, MA 01247

Mail your international submission to:
Tupelo Press Dorset Prize, 243 Union Street, # 305, North Adams MA 01247 USA

2. Via our online Submission Manager: Submit Now

Be sure that your document is complete and formatted correctly before uploading to the Submission Manager. Include cover pages, table of contents, and acknowledgments in the same document as your manuscript. Do not under any circumstance upload the same manuscript more than once unless you pay a separate reading fee for the second entry.

Please note, you may combine payment and submission methods as you wish. If you send your manuscript by mail you may pay by check (enclosed with your manuscript) or via PayPal (enclosing a copy of the receipt with your manuscript). If you submit your manuscript online you may pay by check (sent to the address above) or via PayPal.

Thank you for your participation and your support of Tupelo Press.

We look forward to reading your work!