The Vern Rutsala Book Prize

A project of Cloudbank (see other related projects).

About

Two cash prizes plus book copies are awarded for book-length manuscripts of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of both. Recent contest winners and Editor’s Choice selections have been Michael Laves, Suzanne Matson, Stephen Knauth, Bruce Bond, Jeffrey Bean, and Maurya Simon. The contest was named in honor of Northwest poet Vern Rutsala. His book, The Moment's Equation, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2005.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $25 (above average for contests).

Country of Publication

United States

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

22 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Regular Speed: The Vern Rutsala Book Prize's overall average response time is within a normal range for contests.
More Challenging: The Vern Rutsala Book Prize's overall acceptance rate is lower than most contests.
More Responsive: The Vern Rutsala Book Prize's overall rate of non-response is lower than most contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open Fee-based

Only flash fiction collections are accepted.

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 31 October 2026* (approx. 46 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Fiction Collection: 15,000 - 22,500 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + No royalties Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro advance. No royalties. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $1,000 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.

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 31 October 2026* (approx. 46 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: All nationalities.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: 60 - 90 pages.

Poetry Forms:

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

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + No royalties Provides free copy/copies Semi-pro advance. No royalties. Provides free copy/copies. Details: USD $1,000 prize.

Submissions:

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.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for The Vern Rutsala Book Prize

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For the Editor(s):
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The Vern Rutsala 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 11 reports from 11 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

78 min | 117.7 mean avg | 113.0 median | 190 max days (33.4 std dev)

Responses

90.91 %

Acceptances:

0.00 %

Rejections:

90.91 % (116.0 avg. days per rejection) | 0.0 % personal, 70.0 % form, 30.0 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

9.09 % (131.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

1 response is pending (25 days waiting).

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $25.00.
Most recent response reported was received on 05 May 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 18 Nov 2025.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:02 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Cloudbank

The Cloudbank Contest

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: 10 Sep 2026

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