Crawshaw Prize

I'm assuming that Salt Publishing are running the Crashaw Prize this year. This company were in financial trouble earlier in the year and launched a 'Just One Book' campaign that appeared to be very successful in getting readers and writers to buy just one book from them. They are the UK largest publisher of poetry and short stories.

Salt have a good reputation. They often have a collection or two on the Forward Prize list. This year Siân Hughes was short listed for her First Collection called The Missing. She was also longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

In 2007 they had Eleanor Rees’s shortlisted debut collection Andraste’s Hair and Melanie Challenger’s Galatea.

Siân Hughes and Andrew Philip have both been shortlisted in the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.

Last year the list was:
# Tom Chivers How to Build a City (UK)
# Abi Curtis Unexpected Weather (UK)
# Jamey Dunham The Bible of Lost Pets (USA)
# Jared Stanley Book Made of Forest (USA)

There were originally 6. Ian Pinder and Ailbhe Darcy both mysteriously had to withdraw.

Deadline: 31 October 2009

Read the Crawshaw Prize Conditions: No previous collection published.
65-70 pages. (yerk!)

Entrants must permanently reside in the UK & Ireland, the USA, or Australia & New Zealand.

Manuscripts must include a table of contents and a list of acknowledgments for poems previously published. The first page must include a biographical note of not more than 80 words. Your name, address, phone number and email address should appear on the title page of your manuscript.

The Crashaw Prize is judged by members of the Board of Salt Publishing. Manuscripts are not read anonymously. Manuscripts may be screened by Salt staff.

Send by email. See the website.

Fee: £18