The results are in for the
2027 Press 53 Award for Poetry!

We received 432 entries from writers in forty-two states and the District of Columbia for the 2027 Press 53 Award for Poetry. After careful reading and consideration, Tom Lombardo has selected his winner, a runner-up, and three finalists.

First Prize of publication, $1,000, and 53 copies goes to Andrew Bode-Lang for Circus Maximus!

Andrew Bode-Lang’s poetry chapbook, My Time in the Circus, was a winner of the 2026 Rattle Chapbook Prize and will be published in early 2027. His poems and short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in journals including Barrow Street, Epoch, The Greensboro Review, New Letters, Ninth Letter, Poetry East, and Rattle; his fiction chapbook, Field Trips with Exceptional People, is available from Red Bird Chapbooks. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania, with his wife and daughter and teaches English at Penn State.

Due to Andrew’s award-winning chapbook coming out in early 2027, we have agreed to postpone publication of Circus Maximus until Fall 2027, giving the kind folks at Rattle and Andrew time to promote and celebrate My Time in the Circus, which is a sampling of the poems in Andrew’s book-length manuscript, Circus Maximus.

Our judge, Tom Lombardo, Press 53 Poetry Series Editor, said this about Circus Maximus: This poet has brought a group of unusual characters to life and kept them living for an entire collection. Marvelous. We’ve all seen movies about circus trapeze artists where someone dies. But this collection goes much, much deeper into the workstyle of these acrobats. The circus narrative works clearly throughout the collection, and the characters are physically complex, mentally free-form, and logically off-kilter. They face injury or death every day. Yet, there is unity in their lives. The poems are, simply put, revealing and enjoyable.

Congratulations, Andrew!

Runner-Up is Francine Witte for Make It a Tree. Francine will receive $500 and 25 copies, with publication of her collection 0n March 18, 2027 at AWP Chicago.

Francine Witte is the author of eleven books of flash fiction and poetry. Her latest flash fiction book is Radio Water (Roadside Press) and her latest poetry book is Some Distant Pin of LIght (Cervena Barva Press.) She is the host of the monthly zoom flash fiction reading FBOMB and the flash fiction editor for Flash Boulevard and South Florida Poetry Journal. Her story "Plate Spinner," won a Pushcart Prize. She lives in New York City.

Congratulations, Francine!

Finalists selected by Tom are:

The God Television by Collin Callahan of Tallahassee, FL

A Folding Sky by Michael Kolb of Littleton, CO

Chronic Angers by John Warner Smith of Lafayette, LA

Press 53 thanks all the poets who entered their collections for this year’s manuscript competition. Tom is looking forward to reading more of your poetry next year when the 2028 Press 53 Award for Poetry opens on April 1.

The 2028 Press 53 Award for Poetry
will open for entries on April 1, 2027

Award includes: Publication by Press 53 of the winning poetry collection as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection, $1,000, and 53 copies

The Press 53 Award for Poetry is awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished collection of poems. This competition is open to any writer, regardless of their publication history, who is 18 years of age or older, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States or one of its territories.

Dates for submission: April 1, 2026–July 31, 2026. Submissions will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on July 31. (Note: Deadline can be extended at the discretion of Press 53.)

Winner and Finalists announced: The winner of the Press 53 Award for Poetry will be announced on or before November 1, 2026, on the Press 53 website, and via email, Facebook, and by through Submittable to all who entered. We will also include a list of finalists. A runner-up can be named at the judge’s discretion.

Award: The author of the winning manuscript will receive $1,000, publication of the manuscript in April 2027 as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection, and 53 copies of the completed book with an option to purchase unlimited copies at a discount for as long as the book is in print. Prizes awarded upon publication.

How to submit:
Online: Enter via Submittable (April 1 through July 31, 2026)

Please Note: Manuscripts are no longer accepted by mail.

Reading fee: A reading fee of $30 must be paid for each entry. Reading fees are nonrefundable.

Judging: Press 53 Poetry Series Editor Tom Lombardo will be the only judge for this contest; the contest will be judged solely on the strength of the poems as a collection.

Eligibility: The competition is open to manuscripts written in the English language from writers at all levels, 18 years years of age or older, who live in the United States or one its territories. Note: authors and editors who work for Press 53 or have published a book with Press 53 are not eligible to enter.

Manuscript Guidelines:

1. Manuscripts should be approximately 50 to 120 pages in length. We do not favor one length over the other. We are only concerned with the quality of the poems as a collection.

2. The author's name should not appear on the manuscript. This is a blind read.

3. Manuscript should include a Table of Contents with numbered pages.

4. An acknowledgments page for previous publication of poems in the manuscript is not necessary. Only the poems are read and considered.

5. Use a standard, easy-to-read font such as 11- or 12-point Times New Roman, Minion, Garamond, etc.

6. Poems previously published in journals, magazines, or anthologies, and poems that have won awards, may (and probably should) be included in the manuscript. Selected poems from chapbooks are fine, but please use only a reasonable number of poems; do not include the entire chapbook in your manuscript.

7. Previously published collections are not eligible, including self-published collections available as ebooks, online, or in print.

8. Authors may submit more than one manuscript to the competition. Each submission will require a separate reading fee.

9. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please withdraw your manuscript if it is accepted by another publisher. Withdrawal can be completed via Submittable by opening your submission and clicking "Withdraw" in the upper-right corner of your screen. Reading fees are not refundable and withdrawn manuscript cannot be replaced with another manuscript.

10. Confirmation of receipt will be sent via e-mail by Submittable immediately after submission. An announcement of our shortlist and winner will be sent to all entrants via email through Submittable, and posted on the Press 53 website on the dates indicated above.

11. The Deadline for entering is July 31. Requests to edit a manuscript after the deadline will not be honored. If a manuscript is withdrawn, it cannot be replaced with another manuscript, but you may enter another manuscript before the deadline, which would require another reading fee.

If you have any questions or concerns other than technical issues with the submissions manager, please contact Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher & Editor in Chief

Meet Our Winner of the
2026 Press 53 Award for Poetry

Amanda Chiado (key-ah-doe) of Hollister, California, and a California Poet in the Schools, has been selected by Tom Lombardo as winner of the 2026 Press 53 Award for Poetry. Her collection of prose poems, Today I Wear the Bear Head, will be published as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection and will be launched at AWP in Baltimore on March 4, 2026. Amanda will also receive a $1,000 advance and 53 copies of her book.

Today I Wear the Bear Head: Prose Poems

$17.95

by Amanda Chiado

Winner of the 2026 Press 53 Award for Poetry

A Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection

ISBN 978-1-968783-05-1

9 × 6 softcover, 98 pages

About our winner: Amanda Chiado is a writer, poet, teacher, and arts advocate. She holds degrees from the University of New Mexico, California College of the Arts, and Grand Canyon University. Amanda is the author of the chapbooks Prime Cuts (Bottlecap Press, 2025) and Vitiligod: The Ascension of Michael Jackson (Dancing Girl Press, 2016). Her poetry and fiction have been published in DMQ Review, The Account, Southeast Review, RHINO, and others. She is an alumna of the Community of Writers and the Highlights Foundation. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She is the Director of Arts Education at the San Benito County Arts Council, is a California Poet in the Schools, and edits for Jersey Devil Press. She's passionate about birds, horror movies, ballet, magic, and laughter. She lives in Hollister, California, with her husband, son, daughter, and mother.

Tom Lombardo had this to say: “While judging this year’s Press 53 Award for Poetry, I came across many fine collections. I was thrilled to find Amanda Chiado’s phenomenal collection of prose poetry in the stack. Many poets try to write prose poetry, but most swing and miss. Chiado hit a home run. Prose poetry has its own set of brush strokes, and Chiado has mastered the art form. While reading Today I Wear the Bear Head, I enjoyed the off-kilter, odd-ball diction of the poet’s helter-skelter stories that cemented the characters into my gray matter.”

Tom selected to following finalists

You Don’t See How You Shine by Pam Crow

A Lyrical Miscellany by Thomas Johnson

What Keeps Me Looking Out the Window by Michael Kolb

Beholder’s Share by Nancy Chen Long

When Love Goes Tornado by Francine Witte

This year we received 430 entries from poets in 43 states and the District of Columbia. We thank everyone who entered and we wish you all success in the coming year and beyond. Entries for the 2027 Press 53 Award for Poetry will open on April 1, 2026, and will again be judged by Press 53 Poetry Series Editor Tom Lombardo.

Meet Our Winner, Runner-Up, and Finalists
for the 2025 Press 53 Award for Poetry!

This year we received 352 entries from poets in 44 states. Competition was tough and took things down to the wire for our judge, Press 53 Poetry Series Editor Tom Lombardo. Here are Tom’s selections:

First Prize (Publication, $1,000 advance, and 53 copies): Meant to Be by Dave Nielsen

Meant to Be by Dave Nielsen was selected as our First Prize winner of the 2025 Press 53 Award for Poetry. Dave is the author of Unfinished Figures, winner of the 2016 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry. His work has appeared in The Southern Review Southern Poetry Review, Tampa Review, The South Carolina Review, The 2River View, Aethlon, and numerous other literary journals and magazines. He studied English at the University of Cincinnati.

Tom Lombardo had this to say about Meant to Be: This collection attracted me because of its hyperbolic, somewhat fantastical approach to the poet’s life experiences, from his youth through parenting. Most of these poems use easy humor, though never too blatant, never a chuckle. Just admiration and a smile.

Runner-Up (Publication, $500 advance, and 23 copies): Going Out and Being Normal by Vaughn M. Watson

Going Out and Being Normal by Vaughn M. Watson was selected as Runner-Up of the 2025 Press 53 Award for Poetry. Vaughn is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer based in New York City. His poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published in literary journals as varied as Tahoma Literary Review, About Place, and The Common.

Tom Lombardo had this to say about Going Out and Being Normal : A great collection of prose poetry that benchmarks sexuality, race, and ethnicity. This poet will propel readers through his lessons learned with his short cliff-hangers loaded with metaphor. Here is a strong, new voice in prose poetry.

Tom also selected the following Finalists:

Truth & Lore by Jasmine Griffin

The Shaping of a Woman: A Memoir in Prose Poems by Victoria Hauzy

Place Made of Space by Carol Kapaun Ratchenski

Windsock After a Rocket by Bill Rector

Little Knives by Dara-Lyn Shrager

the thing has eyes by Isabel Smith

~ ~ ~

Everyone at Press 53 congratulates Dave, Vaughn, and our finalists, and we give a big Thank You! to everyone who entered this year’s competition. We hope you will keep an eye out for Meant to Be and Going Out and Being Normal when they are published in April 2025.

Previous winners