Philip Levine Prize at Fresno State

The Philip Levine Prize at Fresno State is an annual poetry book contest administered by the MFA program in creative writing at California State University, Fresno. Established in honor of Philip Levine, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and longtime Fresno faculty member, the prize reflects his commitment to poetry that speaks with clarity and emotional directness about work, place, and the lives of ordinary people. Since its founding, the prize has served as a bridge between the university's literary community and the wider world of contemporary poetry, offering a first or subsequent book publication to a poet of exceptional promise.