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Michael Waters Poetry Prize

A project of Southern Indiana Review (see other related projects).

About

The Michael Waters Poetry Prize was established in 2013 to honor Michael’s contributions to Southern Indiana Review and American arts and letters.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee range is USD $17.50 to $35 (average to above average for contests).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2013

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication
Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
Michael Waters Poetry Prize's overall average response time is slower than most contests.
More Challenging
Michael Waters Poetry Prize's overall acceptance rate is lower than most contests.
More Responsive
Michael Waters Poetry Prize's overall rate of non-response is lower than most contests.

Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: 40 - 100 pages.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional advance (US$2000 or more) + Unknown royalties Professional advance. Unknown royalties. Details: USD $6,000 prize.

Submissions:

Methods: Submittable submission manager. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Michael Waters Poetry Prize Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 22 reports from 22 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
25 min | 120.3 mean avg | 120.0 median | 178 max days (41.0 std dev)
Responses
81.82 %
Acceptances:
0.00 % No publication has a 0% acceptance rate. This data is based on submission reports sent to Duotrope, and we have not received reports of any acceptances yet.
Rejections:
81.82 % (130.8 avg. days per rejection) | 5.6 % personal, 66.7 % form, 27.8 % unspecified | 4.6 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
18.18 % (44.3 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $35.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 02 Jun 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 02 Feb 2026.
Date compiled: 07 Sep 2026 17:45 UTC (1 hour, 36 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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Mary C. Mohr Award CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions
Southern Indiana Review  Charges fees for all submissions
Thomas A. Wilhelmus Short Prose Award DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 23 Jul 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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