About the Angela Jackson Prize

Since 2009, Cave Canem has collaborated with Northwestern University Press offer a prize for an exceptional second collection by a Black from the African diaspora. Past recipients include Vievee Francis, Reginald Harris and Jonathan Moody. The prize is offered every other year to celebrate and publish works of lasting cultural value and literary excellence.

In light of Angela Jackson’s innumerable contributions to poetry, Black literary communities and in recognition of her tenure as Poet Laureate of the State of Illinois, the prize has been renamed this year in her honor. Ms. Jackson will also serve as this year’s judge.

Award

Winner receives $1,000, publication by Northwestern University Press, and 15 copies of their book

Eligibility

All Black authors of published, original collections of poems written in English by Black poets who have had one full-length book of poetry published by a professional press. Cave Canem defines Black poets as any poet who identifies as a member of the African Diaspora. 

Black authors of chapbooks and self-published books with a maximum print run of 500 may apply. Simultaneous submission to other book awards should be noted: immediate notice upon winning such an award is required. Winner agrees to be present in the continental United States at their own expense shortly after the book is published in order to participate in promotional reading(s).

Exclusions

Current or former students, colleagues, employees, family members and close friends of the judge; current or former employees and members of the board of Cave Canem Foundation or Northwestern University Press; and authors who have published a book or have a book under contract with Northwestern University Press are ineligible.

If any of the selected authors fall under the above exclusions, they will be disqualified and a replacement will be chosen from among the finalists. As the poetry community is small and the contest is judged without knowledge of the submitter’s identity, acquaintance with the judge and participation in a workshop taught by the judge are not disqualifying criteria.

Guidelines

• Submit manuscripts online at cavecanem.submittable.com/submit. Hard copy submissions will not be considered.
• One manuscript per poet.
• Upload manuscript online as a .doc or .pdf document. Include a title page with the title only and table of contents on separate pages. Author’s name should not appear on any pages within the manuscript and must be redacted if it appears in any of the poems.
• Manuscript must be paginated with a font size of 11 or 12 and 50-75 pages in length, inclusive of table of contents. A poem may be multiple pages, but no more than one poem per page is permitted.
• Do not include illustrations or images of any kind.
• Manuscripts not adhering to submission guidelines will be considered ineligible without notice to the applicant.
• Post-submission revisions or corrections are not permitted.

2020 Winner

Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon selected Brionne Janae’s Blessed are the Peacemakers as the winner of the 2020 Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize. Brionne Janae is a poet and teaching artist living in Brooklyn. They are the author of Because You Were Mine (2023), and After Jubilee (2017). Janae is a 2023 NEA Creative Writing Fellow, a Hedgebrook Alum and proud Cave Canem Fellow.