Awards

The Bluestem Poetry Award Competition began in 1989. Each year, a poet of national distinction serving as our judge chooses a winner from a pool of submitted manuscripts. Both established and undiscovered writers enter their work in the competition.

From its genesis, the competition and its reputation have continued to grow. Since 1997, direction provided by author Philip Heldrich has made the Bluestem Poetry Award into an esteemed "Tradition of Excellence." While the work of coordinating the contest and preparing the winning manuscript for publication takes time and dedication from a small staff, we still find the contest to be exciting and rewarding. There are few pleasures in life as satisfying as discovering a great book of poems.

The Bluestem Press, founded by poet Christopher Howell, remains committed to publishing quality books of poetry. We print books that are aesthetically and physically appealing. We want our books to be cherished by our readers, and it is only for our readers that we continue to conduct the Bluestem Poetry Award Competition. Most of all, we thank you for your support.