Victor Howes Prize in Poetry

Victor Howes Prize in Poetry

Victor Howes was a poet, English professor, and longtime Board Member of the New England Poetry Club. He passed away in January 2018. He was a beloved teacher and advocate of poets and poetry. This prize, funded with a generous donation from his estate, honors and builds on his legacy.

Eligibility: Undergraduate English major currently enrolled at a New England college (2-year or 4-year). Note, if the college does not offer an English major, we accept submissions from humanities or liberal arts majors.

Prize: $1000 and an invitation to read at the Student Awards Reading at the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site in June

Submission period: January 1-February 28 (Postmark deadline)

To enter, please send the following:

  1. 4 poems (up to 10 pages total)

   2. A brief statement about what draws you to poetry; tell us about yourself (No more than 300 words)

   3. A cover sheet with the following information:

  • your name and how to contact you (email, phone, address)

  • titles of the submitted poem(s)

  • your college

  • the name and contact information of the chair of your English Department

Please be sure to number the pages in your document and include your name on each page.

Mail (via regular post) your submission to:

Mary Buchinger

53 Regent Street
Cambridge, MA 02140

 

We prefer submissions via U.S. mail; however, electronic submissions will be accepted. Send your poems, personal statement, and cover sheet as a single Word document to: newenglandpoetryclub@gmail.com.

The subject header of your email should be: VH PRIZE, your name.

 

Previous winners

2024: Dan Harrison, Plymouth State University, senior 

2023: Mary Gracie Meijer, Boston College, senior

2022: Logan Klutse, Yale University, junior

2021: Lauren Young, University of Connecticut, first-year student

2020: Jessica Chretien, Plymouth State University, senior

2019: Oriana Tang, Yale University, senior