Yale Series of Younger Poets

The Yale Series of Younger Poets, begun in 1919, is the oldest annual literary award in America: one first book by a poet under 40, published by Yale University Press, chosen by a single distinguished judge who serves multi-year terms. The judge's taste defines eras — W.H. Auden famously picked Ashbery, Merwin, James Wright, and Adrienne Rich in one astonishing run.

Recent judges have included Louise Glück, Carl Phillips, and Rae Armantrout. Submissions open each fall with a reading fee; winning does not just publish a book, it installs the poet in a 100-year lineage that reviewers and hiring committees still respect.