The Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards are a pair of American prizes based at

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

. They are given to poets for their collections of poetry written in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

, by a citizen or legal resident alien of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award is a $100,000 prize presented to a mid-career, emerging poet who already possesses an established body of work. The Kingsley Tufts award is known to be one of the world's most lucrative poetry prizes. Its counterpart, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, is given to a poet who demonstrates genuine promise in their first book of published poetry, with an attached purse of $10,000.

History

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award

Kingsley Tufts held executive positions in the Los Angeles shipyards and wrote poetry as his avocation. His poetry has been featured in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', and ''

Harpers Harpers may refer to: * Harpers, popular misnomer for ''Harper's Magazine'', American monthly magazine * ''Harper's Bazaar'', monthly American fashion magazine * ''Harpers Wine & Spirit'', formerly ''Harpers Magazine'' (since 1878), British trade ...

'', among other publications. Following his death in 1991, Kingsley's wife, Kate, sold her home and the majority of the couple's estate in order to fund an endowment to help poets further their craft. She established the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award in 1993 at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Initially, the award was for $50,000, and has subsequently doubled due to increases in the endowment. It is intended for an emerging poet who is past the very beginning but has not yet reached the acknowledged pinnacle of their career. Kate Tufts had no prior affiliation with Claremont Graduate University, but when she met then-university President John Maguire and visited the campus, she became convinced that it was the perfect home for her poetry prize. Unlike many literary awards, which are coronations for a successful career or body of work, the Kingsley Tufts award was created to both honor the poet and provide the resources that allow artists to continue working. Kate Tufts said she wanted to create a prize "that would enable a poet to work on his or her craft for a while without paying bills."

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award

In 1994, just a year after the inauguration of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, Kate Tufts founded the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, which began in the amount of $5,000, but has since doubled to $10,000. Kate Tufts died in June 1997, at the age of 86. While she did not live to see her awards grow to become some of the largest poetry prizes in the world, she certainly took pride in their inception while she was alive. Doug Anderson, 1995 Kate Tufts Discovery Award recipient, remembers her sardonic wit when meeting her that year: "She came into the room at the Claremont Graduate School grumbling that she couldn't smoke in there, and then she stopped and looked at Tom Lux hat year's Kingsley Tufts award recipientand myself. Kate Tufts looked at us and said, 'You don't know how glad I am that this year's awards were given to a couple of really disreputable poets.'"

Judging

Both awards go through two phases of judging. A preliminary panel of three judges screens the approximately 400 combined applications that are received for both awards. They then pass on finalists to the final judges. The final panel is composed of five distinguished judges, representing a cross-section of the American poetry community.

2025

The panel of final judges for the 2025 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards is: * Donika Kelly, poet and associate professor at

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Ellen Bass Ellen Bass (born June 16, 1947) is an American poet and author. She has won three Pushcart Prizes and a Lambda Literary Award for her 2002 book ''Mules of Love''. She co-authored the 1991 book '' The Courage to Heal'' about recovery from child s ...

, poet, writer, and writing teacher * Tomás Q. Morín, poet and professor at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

* Divya Victor, poet and professor at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

Major Jackson Major Jackson (born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American poet and professor at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of six collections of poetry: ''Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems 2002-2022'' (W.W. Norton, 2023), ''The Absurd Ma ...

, poet and professor at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

2020

The panel of final judges for the 2020 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards is: * Timothy Donnelly (chair), poet, associate professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and previous editor of ''

Boston Review ''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...

'' *

Cathy Park Hong Cathy Park Hong is an American poet, writer, and professor who has published three volumes of poetry. Much of her work includes mixed language and serialized narrative. She was named on the Time 100, 2021 ''Time'' 100 list for her writings and ad ...

, poet, poetry editor at ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'', and professor at

Rutgers University–Newark Rutgers University–Newark is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in Newark, New Jersey, Newark. Rutgers, fo ...

Meghan O'Rourke Meghan O'Rourke (born 1976) is an American nonfiction writer, poet and critic. Background and education O'Rourke was born on January 26, 1976, in Brooklyn, New York. The eldest of the three children of Paul and Barbara O'Rourke, she had two yo ...

, poet, essayist, memoirist, and editor of ''The

Yale Review ''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on ...

'' * Luis J. Rodriguez, poet, writer, and founding editor of Tia Chucha Press *

Sandy Solomon Sandy Solomon (born Baltimore, Maryland) is an American poet. Life Solomon was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the University of Chicago. She worked in Washington, DC for the National Urban Coalition and then directed two group ...

, poet and teacher at

2019

The panel of final judges for the 2019 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards is: * Timothy Donnelly (chair), poet, associate professor at

, and previous editor of ''Boston'' Review *

, poet, poetry editor at ''

'', and professor at

. * Khadijah Queen, poet, playwright, and assistant professor at the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a Public university, public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a Federated state, state, it is the fla ...

. * Luis J. Rodriguez, poet, writer, and founding editor of Tia Chucha Press *

, poet and teacher at

2017

The panel of final judges for the 2017 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards is: *

Don Share Don Share is an American poet. He is the former chief editor of ''Poetry'' magazine in Chicago. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Career Share, who was named the editor-in-chief of ''Poetry'' in 2013, previously served there as Senior Editor. ...

(chair), poet and editor of ''Poetry'' *

Elena Karina Byrne Elena Karina Byrne is a poet, visual artist, teacher and editor. Her poem "Irregular Masks" was featured in '' The Best American Poetry 2005'' and her poem "Berryman's Concordance Against This Silence" received a Pushcart Prize in 2008 for which ...

, poet, poetry curator/moderator for the

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books The ''Los Angeles Times'' Festival of Books is a free, public festival celebrating the written word. It is the largest book festival in the United States, drawing approximately 150,000 attendees annually. The festival began in 1996 and is ...

Terrance Hayes Terrance Hayes (born November 18, 1971) is an American poet and educator who has published seven poetry collections. His 2010 collection, ''Lighthead'', won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010. In 2014, he received a MacArthur Fellowship ...

, 2000 Kate Tufts Discovery Award recipient, poet, and professor at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, poet, essayist, editor, and literary critic *

Brian Kim Stefans Brian Kim Stefans (born 1969) is an American poet known for his work in experimental poetry and electronic literature. He is a professor of poetry, new media and screenplay studies in the English department of UCLA. Stefans was born in Rutherfo ...

, poet and professor of English at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

2012

The panel of final judges for the 2012 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards is: *

Linda Gregerson Linda Gregerson (born August 5, 1950) is an American poet and member of faculty at the University of Michigan. In 2014, she was named as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Life Linda Gregerson received a B.A. from Oberlin College in ...

, poet, professor at the University of Michigan, and past Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award recipient * David Barber, poet, poetry editor of ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

'' * Kate Gale, poet, novelist, managing editor of Red Hen Press *

Ted Genoways Ted Genoways (born April 13, 1972) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer at '' Mother Jones'' and ''The New Republic'', and an editor-at-large at ''Pacific Standard''. His books include ''This Blessed Earth'' and ''T ...

, award-winning poet and Editor of the ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' *

Carl Phillips Carl Phillips (born 23 July 1959) is an American writer and poet. He is a professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2023, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his '' Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020.'' ...

, poet, professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and past Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award recipient The panel of preliminary judges for the 2012 competition includes: *

Jericho Brown Jericho Brown (born April 14, 1976) is an American poet and writer. Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Brown has worked as an educator at institutions such as the University of Houston, the University of San Diego, and Emory University. Hi ...

, poet, assistant professor of English at the University of San Diego * Andrew Feld, poet, editor of the Seattle Review, and assistant professor at the University of Washington * Jennifer Chang, poet, assistant professor of creative writing at Bowling Green State University

Distinguished past judges

Paul Muldoon Paul Muldoon is an Irish poet. He has published more than thirty collections and won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. At Princeton University he has been both the Howard G. B. Clark '21 University Professor in the Humani ...

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. The award came five years after the first Pulitzers were awarded in other categories; Joseph Pulitzer's will had not ment ...

winner, and poetry editor of ''

'' *

Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. He was the first United States Poet Laureate to serve three terms. Recognized worldwide, Pinsky's work has earned numerous accolades. Pinsky ...

, poet, past

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress The poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, commonly referred to as the United States poet laureate, serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consc ...

, and poetry editor at ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'' *

Charles Harper Webb Charles Harper Webb is an American poet, professor, psychotherapist and former singer and guitarist. His most recent poetry collection is ''Shadow Ball'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009). His honors include a Whiting Award, a Guggenheim F ...

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

recipient in 2001, and professor at

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

Submission requirements/deadlines

Submissions are due annually on July 1, and eligible work has to have been published the previous year (between July and June). Manuscripts, CDs, and chapbooks are not accepted.

Awards ceremony

Award winners are announced in the February following the July deadline, with a ceremony and presentation of the awards in April, national poetry month. The ceremony takes place on the Claremont Graduate University Campus, and winners are required to accept their award in person. Distinguished speakers at the Awards Ceremony have included

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...

in 2002,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

in 2007, and

Maxine Hong Kingston Maxine Hong Kingston (; born Maxine Ting Ting Hong; October 27, 1940) is an American novelist. She is a professor emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated with a B.A. in English in 1962. Kingston has written three ...

in 2012.

Restrictions

A single work may be submitted for either award only once, although the winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award may submit another work in a later year for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award winner, by accepting the award, agrees to spend one week in residence at Claremont Graduate University for lectures and poetry readings in Claremont and the greater Los Angeles area. The poet must be an American citizen or legal resident alien of the United States."Eligibility"
Tufts Poetry Awards, Claremont Graduate University.

Winners

References

External links

Claremont Graduate University

Foothill: a journal of poetry

Tufts Facebook Page

Tufts Vimeo Page

2011 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry AwardsKathy Bates on Suffering and the Imagination at the 2002 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards Claremont Graduate University American poetry awards First book awards Literary awards honoring writers Awards established in 1993 Awards established in 1994 1993 establishments in California 1994 establishments in California