Graywolf, Poetry Foundation Team on New Book Award

The Poetry Foundation has announced the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize, recognizing a United States poet aged 40 or older for their first or second poetry collection. In collaboration with Graywolf Press, the awardee will receive publication and promotion of the manuscript, as well as a prize of $10,000 from the Poetry Foundation and funding for a residency opportunity.

Submissions are open now until Feb. 2, 2026 and must include a previously unpublished, original, book-length poetry manuscript of 48 to 80 pages written in English. The winner will be notified by early August 2026, and an awards ceremony will be held in October. 

"Poetry doesn't happen on a timetable; it is an art of devotion and endurance. How fitting, then, to have a major publication prize that rewards patience—in the work and in the life of the poet," said Jeff Shotts, executive editor and director of poetry at Graywolf Press. "Graywolf is excited to collaborate with the Poetry Foundation on this reimagined prize as an important way to support and publish poets whose first and second books are right on time."

The Pegasus Prize "reimagines" the Emily Dickinson First Book Award, another Poetry Foundation prize launched in 2005, in its focus on older poets, per the announcement. The new award will be made available periodically rather than annually with the hope of providing poets "additional opportunities to write and publish their poetry while showcasing their work to a broader audience."