Cider Press Review — CPR Book Award
Overview
The Cider Press Review Book Award is an annual competition that selects one full-length poetry manuscript for publication. The press, a longstanding independent literary publisher, has established this award as a means to bring a poet's work into print with a standard publishing contract and an initial print run of no fewer than 1,000 copies. The winning author receives $1,500, publication, and 25 author's copies. The judge for 2026 has not been announced. Submissions are accepted between August 1 and October 30, 2026. Manuscripts must consist of 48 to 80 pages of original poetry in English, not previously published in book form. Individual poems may have appeared in journals, anthologies, or chapbooks. The press explicitly does not accept submissions created by or with the assistance of artificial intelligence. A $28 entry fee is required, and submission constitutes agreement to the press's terms and conditions. This award is suited to poets with a coherent, book-length manuscript seeking a first or subsequent publication. The press's commitment to a minimum print run and a standard contract indicates a professional approach to literary publishing. The absence of a named judge for 2026 suggests that the evaluation will be conducted by the press's editorial staff or an anonymous panel, emphasizing the work itself over the identity of the adjudicator.