www.switchbackbooks.com/contest.html

The Gatewood Prize is Switchback Books’ annual competition for a first full-length (48-80 pp.) collection of poems by a woman writing in English between the ages of 18 and 39. It is named after Emma Gatewood, the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

2008 Judge:
Denise Duhamel

2008 Reading Period:
July 1st – October 1st

Prize:
$500 and a standard publication contract with a print run of 1000.

General Terms:

Poet must be a woman between the ages of 18 and 39. Our definition of “woman” is broad and includes transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, and female-identified individuals.
Entry fee of $15 must accompany each submission; make check payable to Switchback Books. We do not accept cash or money orders.

Multiple submissions are acceptable, but each manuscript must be entered under separate cover and fee.

Please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted by another publisher while under our consideration.

No revisions to submitted manuscripts will be considered; the winning manuscript may be revised before publication.

Translations ineligible.

Manuscripts by close friends and former students of the judge are ineligible.

Poets who have previously published a co-written collection of poems are eligible for the Gatewood Prize if the submitted manuscript is a single-author collection.

Submissions will be read by Switchback editors and staff members. We will select ten manuscripts to send on to the judge, who will choose the final winner.

Manuscripts remain anonymous until a winner is selected. Please remove any identifying references from your manuscript (including those in the body of the manuscipt).

Manuscript Requirements:

between 48 and 80 pages, paginated
bound with a removable clip and nothing more

two cover pages: top cover page should include manuscript title, author’s name, and author’s contact information, second cover page should only include the title of the manuscript

no acknowledgements page

Notification:
The entry fee entitles you to a free copy of the winning book. To receive your free copy of the winning book, please include a 7×10 envelope with a USA address and $2.15 in USA postage.
If you want to be notified of the contest results by snail mail (as opposed to e-mail), enclose a SASE.

Do not enclose an SASE for return of manuscripts; all manuscripts will be recycled at end of contest term

International submissions must include U.S. postage; IRCs will not be honored. Go to www.usps.com to purchase US postage.

TELL US IF YOU MOVE. Send new address to: editors@switchbackbooks.com

Deadline:
Envelope must be postmarked on or between July 1st of 2008 and October 1st of 2008. No Federal Express or UPS.

Mail Manuscripts To:
Switchback Books
PO Box 478868
Chicago, IL 60647