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The St. Lawrence Book Award

A project of Black Lawrence Press (see other related projects).

About

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The St. Lawrence Book Award for an unpublished first collection of poetry or prose. The St. Lawrence Book Award is open to any writer who has not yet published a full-length collection in any genre.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee range is USD $25 to $30 (above average for contests).
Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to people who have not yet published a full-length manuscript in any genre.
Want more insight into the affiliated editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s) of Black Lawrence Press.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2004

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication
Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
The St. Lawrence Book Award's overall average response time is slower than most contests.
More Challenging
The St. Lawrence Book Award's overall acceptance rate is lower than most contests.
Less Responsive
The St. Lawrence Book Award's overall rate of non-response is higher than most contests.

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 June 2027* (approx. 264 days from now) through 31 August 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Fiction Collection: 30,000 - 70,000 words.

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 Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $1,000 prize.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 June 2027* (approx. 264 days from now) through 31 August 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Nonfiction Collection: 30,000 - 70,000 words.

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 Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $1,000 prize.

Submissions:

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

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 01 June 2027* (approx. 264 days from now) through 31 August 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: 45 - 95 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:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + Unknown royalties Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $1,000 prize.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
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.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

The St. Lawrence Book Award 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 25 reports from 25 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
12 min | 127.0 mean avg | 116.0 median | 226 max days (41.7 std dev)
Responses
88.00 %
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:
88.00 % (126.7 avg. days per rejection) | 0.0 % personal, 72.7 % form, 27.3 % unspecified | 8.0 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
4.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
4.00 % (226.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals
8.00 % (63.5 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
26 responses are pending (10 min | 46.7 mean avg | 44.0 median | 88 max days waiting | 913.2 std dev) from 26 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $30.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 18 Feb 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 Sep 2025.
Date compiled: 10 Sep 2026 00:26 UTC (18 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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The 46er Poetry Prize CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions
The Big Moose Prize  Charges fees for all submissions
Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series
Black Lawrence Press  Charges fees for all submissions
The Black River Chapbook Competition  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: 31 Aug 2026

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

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