The Wildcats Poetry Prize—funded by the YAS Foundation and managed by the University of New Hampshire’s English Department—was created to promote and honor excellence in writing at the college level. Each year, students enrolled on any USNH campus are invited to submit their original poetry for a chance to be published in an anthology that will be housed in the library at the University of New Hampshire Durham. Two first and two second prize winners will be awarded $1,000 and $500 prizes respectively, and will read their winning poems at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 18, 2025.   

Eligibility:

• Must be actively enrolled in classes at USNH (any campus)
• Must submit your own, original writing 
• Must be willing to have your work appear in the USNH Anthology and, if chosen as one of the four prize winners, to read your winning poem at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival on April 18, 2025. Honorariums are awarded in exchange for/after appearing at the Festival. 

Guidelines:

• Each submission may consist of 1–3 poems, up to a maximum of 5 pages. There should be one poem per page, typed single-spaced (unless the poems are meant to be presented using nonstandard spacing). There are no restrictions regarding theme or style.
• Do not include your name or any identifying information on your submission. Submittable will collect all contact information, and we will have a number of judges, ensuring as anonymous a screening process as possible.
• Poems should be your original work. We reserve the right to disqualify any poems we believe to be plagiarized. 
• Prize winners and those accepted for publication will be notified in December 2024.

Please note: UNH faculty falls under Title IX mandatory reporting guidelines, which means if you report incidences of sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence, we are required to report it to our UNH Title IX office. (This will not keep your poem from being read for the contest and/or potentially winning a prize)