The 2027 Alice James Award

The Alice James Award is an annual full-length poetry manuscript competition run by Alice James Books, an independent cooperative poetry press based in New Gloucester, Maine. The award welcomes submissions from both emerging and established poets and is committed to publishing work that elevates historically marginalised voices and engages readers on important social issues.

Entrants must submit a full-length, previously unpublished poetry manuscript of 48 to 100 pages (single-spaced), with a numbered table of contents and paginated throughout. Individual poems may have appeared previously in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks of fewer than 25 pages, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished. Translations, self-published books, and multi-authored collections are not eligible.

All manuscripts are screened anonymously by a minimum of two readers, at least one of whom is a board member. Finalists are then reviewed non-anonymously by the full editorial board, who select the winner. In addition to the winning manuscript, one or more additional manuscripts may be selected as Editor’s Choice for publication.

The competition is open to US residents only.

Is this competition legit?YES! – Based on our research this event is legitimate and the organizer is well established. However, as with any event, please remember to do your own research before submitting your work.

FAQ
If you are curious how writing competitions work, or it’s your first time entering one, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page first.