The Granite State Poetry Prize is a $5,000 publication prize given annually for a previously unpublished poetry collection of extraordinary quality written by an emerging or established New Hampshire poet. Housed and managed by the University of New Hampshire’s English Department, the Prize is made possible through the generous support of the YAS Foundation in honor of poet and poetry lover, Nossrat Yassini. The final judge for this year's award is Jennifer Militello, distinguished author and Poet Laureate of New Hampshire.

The winner of the 2025 Granite Poetry Prize will receive: 

• $5,000
• Publication (with a standard royalty contract, +20 copies of your book)
• A headline reading/book launch at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival, taking place at the University of New Hampshire on April 18-19, 2025.
• A platform to offer a virtual workshop to a national audience
• Promotion of the poet and their book leading up to the Festival

Eligibility:

We are accepting previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscripts by current New Hampshire residents engaged in ongoing literary work in the state, OR by poets with a personal history, identity, and/or manuscript that demonstrate a strong New Hampshire influence. You will be asked to submit a brief artist’s statement delineating your connection to the state.

Manuscripts should be:

• previously unpublished (including self-publications and e-books). Poems may have been previously published in periodicals or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must not have been previously published.
• between 48 and 96 pages (including front matter), typed single-spaced (unless the poems are meant to be presented using nonstandard spacing) in a standard font, like Times New Roman. Multiple poems may not appear on a single page. 
• of original poetry, in English, by one poet. There are no restrictions on the style of poetry or subject matter. Translations are not eligible.

Entering the prize implies the author’s willingness to attend the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival in Durham, New Hampshire (April 18-19, 2025), and to take part in the headline reading and offer one workshop virtually.  The honorarium is awarded in exchange for/after appearing at the Festival. If money is needed to assist with travel, arrangements for a portion of the prize to be received in advance will be made.

Submission Guidelines:

• Contact Form
• Fee: $30 (This non-refundable fee will be used to pay initial readers a stipend)
• Screening for the Granite Poetry Prize is anonymous: the manuscript (to include the filename) should not contain any information that would reveal the identity of its author. Include one title page with the manuscript title only. Contact information is collected via Submittable, and will be hidden from our readers. An acknowledgments page may be included. Manuscripts that do not follow this guideline will be deemed ineligible.
• Manuscripts must have a numbered table of contents.
• Manuscripts must be submitted electronically, through submittable, and should be a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
• Applicants may submit manuscripts elsewhere simultaneously, but must notify us immediately if a manuscript is accepted for publication by another publisher. 
• We cannot consider manuscript revisions during the course of the contest. The winning poet will have an opportunity to revise before publication.

Poets are not eligible to apply if they are close friends and/or have studied with the final judge, Jennifer Militello, in full-time accredited courses within the last three years. 

Current UNH staff and students are not eligible to submit. 

Previous winners must wait one full cycle before submitting to the contest again. (In other words, someone whose book was selected and published in 2024 can submit another manuscript in 2026)

    All applicants will be notified of the 2025 Granite State Poetry Prize results on or before December 15, 2024.

UNH/The YAS Foundation assumes no responsibility for manuscripts not received due to user error. Applicants may verify the receipt of their manuscript by logging into Submittable.

Decisions regarding eligibility, both initial and throughout the award period, are final. UNH/The YAS Foundation reserves the right to withhold the Granite State Poetry Prize in any given year.

Any questions about the contest should be sent to nossratyassinipoetryfestival@gmail.com. For more information on our book prizes and all of our programming, including the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival, please visit our website.