Catherine Case Lubbe Manuscript Contest: 2023 Requirements

Prize: The winning entrant will receive a cash prize of $100 and fifty copies of an Amazon KDP published, market-ready, 6 by 9 inch soft-cover book (includes editing, cover design, pricing, and ISBN registration). The winner will assume the cost of additional copies.

Who may enter: The competition is open to all active dues-paid and life members of PST writing in English. The manuscript must be original work by a single author. The winner must agree to three public readings from the book. (1) A reading for a PST monthly meeting; (2) A reading at the annual summer conference, following the announcement in November; (3) A third reading to be arranged by the author. Entry in the contest acknowledges agreement with these stipulations. Past winners of this prize and Eakin winners will not be eligible to enter until the seventh contest year afterward.  The CCL committee will select a judge whose name will be announced when the winner is announced. All rights revert to the winner after publication.

Who may enter: The competition is open to all active dues-paid and Life Members of PST, writing in English. The manuscript must be original work by a single author. The winner must agree to three public readings from the book. (1) A reading for a PST monthly meeting; (2) A reading at the annual summer conference, following the announcement in November; (3) A third reading will be arranged by the author. Entry acknowledges agreement with these stipulations. The winner of this prize and Eakin winners will not be eligible to enter again for six years. PST will select a judge whose name will be announced when the winner is announced. All rights revert to the winner after publication.

Deadline: Manuscripts must be postmarked between June 1 and August 1, 2023.

Previously published material: The manuscript may include unpublished poems and poems published in journals and anthologies (not to exceed 25 percent of the whole submission)  but may not include poems from poet’s other books or chap books, print or electronic. The submitter must have rights to previously published poems at the time of submitting the manuscript.

Entry fee: $10 payable by check to Poetry Society of Texas for each submitted manuscript. Multiple entries are allowed with separate fees.

Length: The submitted manuscript should contain between 45 and 60 pages of poetry, one poem per page, not including other written matter.  Only poems submitted in the winning contest manuscript will be published.  No poems may be added or replaced nor images added to the poetry during the winning entry publication process.. 

Format: (1) Submit a single copy of the manuscript. (2) No line of poetry shall contain more than 60 characters (letters, spaces, and punctuation). (3) The manuscript must have a title page without author identification. (4) The pages should be numbered. (5) It must include a table of contents. (6) It must be bound in some manner (manuscript clip preferred). (7) No identification should appear on the manuscript. (8) Manuscripts with poems that contain explicit sexual language or expletives will not be considered. Do not send your only copy of the manuscript. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Include these items separate from the manuscript: (1) A title page with entrants name, address, phone number, and email address. (2) A single copy of a poem from the manuscript. If your manuscript wins, this poem will be printed in A Book of the Year and read at the awards banquet. This copy should have author identification and a note that it is part of your Lubbe manuscript. (3) A list of acknowledgements for previously published poems (not to exceed 25 percent of the whole).  (4) A check for $10.00 payable to PST for each manuscript entry.

Send to:  Richard Kushmaul – 9612 Sandlewood Drive, Denton, Texas 76207.  704-608-9702 (c) richardkdpa@gmail.com. 

Past winners include Diane Glancy, Charlotte Renk, Lynn Lewis, Budd Powell Mahan, Terry Jude Miller, Susan Maxwell Campbell, Michael Minassian, Christine Irving, and Courtney O’Banion Smith.

(Rev 12.30.2022)