Mar. 19, 2025
The Ottoline Book Prize by Fence—a not-for-profit literary magazine and press based in New York City—is open to full-length poetry manuscripts by any person who identifies as a woman and/or female, as well as people of variable gender who were Assigned Female at Birth. The selected poet will receive a $5,000 award upon publication, a two-week residency at the T.S. Eliot House in Gloucester, Massachusetts, 40 complimentary copies of the book and royalties per their contract with Fence Books.
The winning manuscript will be published in fall/winter 2027 and distributed across North America and internationally by Consortium Books / Ingram. The first printing of 1,000 copies will be produced via offset printing at Versa Press in East Peoria, Illinois. Manuscripts will first be reviewed by Fence editors and volunteers, with final selection made by Emily Wallis Hughes and Jason Zuzga, who will also edit the book in collaboration with the author.
T. S. Eliot House in Gloucester, Massachusetts // Courtesy of Ottoline Book Prize
Submissions are open to poets at any stage of their writing career, whether published or unpublished. There are no limitations on country of origin or immigration status of the entrant. Manuscripts should be at least 45 pages, with no maximum length. Multilingual manuscripts, including self-translations into English, are welcome. Collaborative poetry is also accepted, provided all collaborators meet Ottoline guidelines and are listed in the “cover letter” field.
The submission fee is $25. All entrants will receive a complimentary two-issue Fence subscription or renewal, while international applicants will receive a digital subscription through Exact Editions. Manuscripts may be submitted to other Fence Book calls simultaneously. However, current Fence volunteers, editors, board members and editorial advisors, as well as current and recent students and teaching colleagues of Emily Wallis Hughes and Jason Zuzga are ineligible.
Application Info
fence.submittable.com
Deadline: June 1, 2025; 6am EDT
