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The Paul Nemser Book Prize

A project of Lily Poetry Review (see other related projects).

About

Paul Nemser’s recent collection, Break on Through: New & Selected Poems is available through Lily Poetry review Books. A Thousand Curves, was published by Red Mountain Press in spring 2021, and later by Lily Poetry Review Books. His book Taurus, which won the New American Poetry Prize, was published by New American Press in 2013. His chapbook of prose poems, Tales of the Tetragrammaton, was published by Mayapple Press in 2014. In the 1970’s he co-translated two books of Ukrainian poetry. Nemser’s poems have appeared widely in magazines such as AGNI, Blackbird, Linebreak, Poetry, and TriQuarterly.

This prize is named for a master of the lyric narrative. He is published widely and we encourage you to read some of his work at your convenience.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $25 (above average for contests).
Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication
Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
The Paul Nemser Book Prize's overall average response time is faster than most contests.
More Challenging
The Paul Nemser Book Prize's overall acceptance rate is lower than most contests.
More Responsive
The Paul Nemser Book Prize's overall rate of non-response is lower than most contests.

Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 January 2027* (approx. 116 days from now) through 15 April 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: No page limits known.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Lyric poetry, Narrative poetry.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + Unknown royalties Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Details: USD $500.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

The Paul Nemser Book 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 11 reports from 11 different members within the past 12 months. The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
0 min | 22.7 mean avg | 15.0 median | 109 max days (33.6 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 % (26.0 avg. days per rejection) | 0.0 % personal, 44.4 % form, 55.6 % unspecified | 18.2 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
18.18 % (7.5 avg. days per withdrawal)

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $25.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 28 Apr 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 Apr 2026.
Date compiled: 06 Sep 2026 23:44 UTC (5 hours, 10 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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The Jennifer Martelli Chapbook Award  Charges fees for all submissions
Lily Poetry Prize DNQ  Charges fees for all submissions
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Lily Poetry Review Books  Charges fees for all submissions
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Voices Amidst the Virus Anthology CLOSED  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: 26 Jul 2026

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

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