ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu/contest.htm

Call for Manuscripts
January 1, 2008 through March 1, 2008
$1,500 for a book of poems
Final Judge: C.D. Wright
The winning volume will be published in January 2009 by Ahsahta Press.

Ahsahta Press, a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, conforms to the CLMP Code of Ethics and participated in its drafting.

The Sawtooth Poetry Prize honors a book of original poetry in English by a single author; translations are not eligible for this award. The winning poet receives a $1,500 honorarium upon publication plus 25 copies of the published book. In addition to announcements in national publications, the winning book and author will be featured on the Ahsahta website, as will lists of finalists and semi-finalists.

The final judge for the competition is C.D. Wright. Entries must be postmarked between January 1 and March 1, 2008. Entries sent by e-mail or fax are not permitted and will be disqualified. A self-addressed stamped postcard is necessary if you’d like notification of
our receipt of your manuscript. Manuscripts should be 48 to 100 pages of poetry, single-spaced, printed on one side of an 8-1/2″ x 11″ or A4 page only. Include two title pages, one with and one without the author’s name, address, phone, and, if available, e-mail address. The author’s name should not appear anywhere else on the manuscript. Only the anonymous title page will be sent to the readers and judge. More about our judging process. Please number your pages consecutively. Include acknowledgments page and
biographical note, which will be removed before judging. Contain pages in a plain manila folder or bind manuscript with a secure clip. Please do not bind manuscript in a notebook.
Handwritten manuscripts are not accepted. Manuscripts will not be returned, so please do not send your only copy. Manuscript revisions are not permitted during the contest. Include $25.00 reading fee per manuscript (payable to Ahsahta Press). Entrants will receive a copy of the winning book when it is printed if they include a 7″ x 10″ self-addressed mailer with $4.60 postage. Because media mail packages are routinely opened by the U.S. Postal Service, we send the books by priority mail. Our books measure 6″ x 8″ and will not fit in
smaller-sized mailers. A self-addressed stamped #10 envelope must be included for notification of winners. Please note: About 10% of entries come to us without SASEs for notification. Until recently we have attempted to notify these entrants by e-mail or other means, but the time involved has become too burdensome. If you wish notification of the winners of the contest, you must include a standard, stamped, business-sized SASE with your entry.

Winner is expected to be announced in May 2008. All entries are eligible for publication by Ahsahta Press; separate submission of a Sawtooth entry during our open reading period is unnecessary.

Eligibility: Poets writing in English are eligible. Previous book publication is not a consideration. Students and former students of Boise State University and of this year’s judge may not enter; close friends of the judge are also not considered eligible. Simultaneous submissions are permissable, but entrants are asked to notify Ahsahta Press immediately if a manuscript becomes committed elsewhere.

The CLMP Code of Ethics: CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest
guidelines — defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.

Send Entries to:
Sawtooth Poetry Prize
AHSAHTA PRESS, MS1525
1910 University Drive
Boise State University
Boise, ID 83725-1525
208-426-3134