Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry

Honoring the memory of a celebrated poet and a beloved teacher, the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry is awarded annually and is sponsored by The University of Utah Press and The University of Utah Department of English. $1,000 Cash Prize and Publication from the Press; $500 and reading in The University of Utah’s Guest Writers Series from The University of Utah Department of English.

The competition is open to poets who have previously published book-length poetry collections, as well as to unpublished poets.

Individual poems may have appeared previously in journals or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be previously unpublished. This includes chapbooks.

Manuscript length is limited to a maximum of 100 pages. The minimum requirement is 48 pages.

This year’s judge is  Jennifer Chang.

The winner will receive a $1,000  cash prize and the winning collection will be published by The University of Utah Press in the spring/summer of 2025. The winner will give a reading in the University of Utah’s Guest Writers Series, reading to take place during the fall or spring following publication. Travel and accommodations and an additional $500 honorarium are paid by The University of Utah Department of English.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.