About Pushcart Prize Nominations

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America. Since 1976, hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in their annual collections. Winners of the Prize have included the likes of Charles Simic, Robert Pinsky, Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver, Andre Dubus, Margaret Atwood, Richard Ford and John Updike, to name only a handful. No wonder simply being nominated for a Pushcart makes you feel as if you've won something.

Each fall, editors from small magazines and independent book presses worldwide are invited to submit up to six nominations. The nominations may be any combination of poetry, short stories, essays, memoirs or stand-alone excerpts from novels. Translations, reprints and both traditional and experimental writing are also welcome.

Announcing IPA's Pushcart Prize Nominations for 2023

The Iowa Poetry Association's Editor and Associate Editors have collaborated to select nominees from this year's Lyrical Iowa 2021. Please join us in congratulating and wishing these nominees success (listed alphabetically by author).

• Christopher Hunter, Grinnell - "Louisa, Age 6, at Rest"
• Susan J Koch, Iowa City - "Sofia"
• John Mitchell, West Des Moines - "Nicholas II"
• Alise Palmer, Scranton - "Beltane"
• Rose Postma, Sioux Center - "On Telling My Mother I Am Pregnant Again"

Check back on October 1st to read their poems!

To read poems of previous IPA Pushcart Prize Nominees:

IPA Nominees for the 2022 Pushcart Prize
IPA Nominees for the 2021 Pushcart Prize