Submissions for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Now Open Using Submittable

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, are now open for submissions.

For 2026, submissions for this annual poetry competition will be using the online Submittable website. Entries will not be accepted using email or snail mail. A free Submittable account is required to submit poems using the service.

This competition awards a first prize of $2000, a second prize of $1000, and a third prize of $500 for a single poem.

GUIDELINES

Submit up to five unpublished poems per person, with each poem no longer than two manuscript pages.

Pages with poems should not include the poet’s name. A separate cover section of the online form will list the poet’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address.

Please do not submit poems that imitate Allen Ginsberg’s work.

A fee of $20.00 must accompany your submission through Submittable.  

The submission period is October 1 - February 1 (11:59 ET)

Poems by the Winners, Honorable Mentions, and Editor's Choice recipients are included in the Paterson Literary Review (PLR), and the poets are invited to read at The Poetry Center in historic downtown Paterson. Winners will be announced in spring 2026 on this website and through your Submittable account.

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Allen Ginsberg 2024 Poetry Awards Reading on February 1

2/1/2025 Allen Ginsberg 2024 Poetry Awards Reading

An afternoon of contributor readings from the Winners, and some of the Honorable Mention poets. The reading is free and open to all at 1 pm at the Poetry Center at PCCC.

See the complete list of the 2024 Award Winners, Honorable Mention and Editor’s Choice poems and poets (pdf)

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Deadline February 1

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing is an annual poetry competition. The first prize is $2000, the second prize is $1000, and the third prize is $500 for a single poem.

1. Up to five unpublished poems per person will be accepted for consideration.

2. Three copies of each poem should be submitted for distribution to the judges.

3. Each poem should be no longer than two manuscript pages.

4. Pages with poems should not include the poet’s name; instead a separate cover sheet should list the poet’s name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and poem titles.

5. Poems cannot be returned. Please do not submit poems that imitate Allen Ginsberg’s work. 

6. A check for $18.00 payable to PCCC must accompany the submission (write “Poetry Contest” in the memo section of the check). There is a $55 bounced check fee for checks returned for insufficient funds.

7. Deadline: February 1, 2025 (postmarked).

The winners will be announced in spring 2025.  Poems by the Winners, Honorable Mentions, and Editor's Choice recipients are included in the Paterson Literary Review (PLR), and the poets are invited to read at The Poetry Center in historic downtown Paterson.

For full contest guidelines for the 2025 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards (pdf) see poetrycenterpccc.com/awards 

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

2024 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winners

Honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, this annual poetry competition awards the first prize of $2000, the second prize of $1000,

and the third prize of $500 for a single poem.

FIRST PRIZE

Mark Hillringhouse, Verona, NJ “Giving Away All My Books”

Colleen Michaels, Beverly, MA “Round Table”

SECOND PRIZE

Jennifer Martelli, Marblehead, MA “Auntie’s Sliced Pear”

Jason Craig Poole, South Orange, NJ “Sentence”

THIRD PRIZE

R. Bremner, Glen Ridge, NJ “I was a young child, then”

Cindy Veach, Snoqualmie, WA “Drop Leaf Table”

A reading for the award will be held Fall 2024 at The Poetry Center at PCCC.

Download a complete list of the winners, Editor’s Choice, and Honorable Mention poems and poets

Guidelines for Submissions for the 2025 Award

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's newest poetry collection is When the Stars Were Still Visible (2021). Other recent publications are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow, and the poetry collections What Blooms in Winter and The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets, a pairing of her poems with her paintings.
Maria's artist website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Poetry Reading for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards February 3

There will be a reading on February 3, 2024, at 1 pm for the 2023 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Winners at the Poetry Center in Paterson, NJ. (directions)

The afternoon will feature many contributors including winners, honorable mentions, and editor’s choice poets.

The reading is free and open to the public and free parking is available.

See this list of the Winners, Honorable Mentions and Editor’s Choice poems and poets (pdf)

 

Hamilton Club - Poetry Center PCCC
     Photo: Mark Hillringhouse

 

Deadline for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Is February 1

The Poetry Center at PCCC sponsors the annual Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. The deadline is February 1, 2023.   

Honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, this annual poetry competition awards the first prize of $2000, the second prize of $1000, and the third prize of $500 for a single poem.

Up to five unpublished poems per person will be accepted for consideration.

The full guidelines are available at poetrycenterpccc.com/awards

Award Winners from the Poetry Center at PCCC

The Poetry Center at PCCC annually sponsors three literary contests and awards prizes for each.  The 2022 winners and finalists have been announced. Follow these links for press releases on each award and complete lists of the authors, poems, and books.

Paterson Poetry Prize - $1,000 award for a book of poems, 48 pages or more in length, selected by our judges as the strongest collection of poems published in the previous year.

The Paterson Prize for Books for Young People - There is a $1000 award in each category: Pre-K - Grade 3;  Grades 4 - 6;  Grades 7 - 12.

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards - Honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, this annual poetry competition awards a first prize of $1000, the second prize of $600, and the third prize of $400 for a single poem. 

Detailed information on all the three awards including submission guidelines for the 2023 awards is available at poetrycenterpccc.com/awards 

Reading for the 2021 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

Allen Ginsberg  |  Photo by Ellen Denuto

The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College will present a virtual Poetry Reading by the 2021 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Winners, Honorable Mention & Editor’s Choice poets on Saturday, February 5, 2022, via zoom at 1 PM – 3 PM (EST).  

To watch and hear the reading live, go to youtu.be/0Hnfsp2wMD8 at 1 PM. The reading will also be archived and available on the Poetry Center YouTube channel. 

To see a complete list of the winning poets and poems, go to the Center's press release.

For information about the Award, see poetrycenterpccc.com/awards

Deadline for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award February 1, 2022

Allen Ginsberg - Photo by Ellen Denuto

Honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, this annual poetry competition awards a first prize of $1000, a second prize of $600, and a third prize of $400. 

Poems by the Winners, Honorable Mentions, and Editor's Choice recipients are included in the Paterson Literary Review and the poets are invited to read at The Poetry Center in historic downtown Paterson.

Follow this link for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards submission rules for 2022 (pdf)

See the 2021 Award Winners (pdf)

2020 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winner Francesca Marguerite Maximé

Former broadcast news anchor Francesca Marguerite Maximé won the 2020 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award from the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. 

Francesca here describes how poetry helped her to turn her life around, and start a new career as a life coach and trauma healer. 

She reads her winning poem “Pleather” at the 40th-anniversary celebration of the Poetry Center at PCCC, founded by poet Maria Mazziotti Gillan.

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan's most recent books are the poetry and photography collection, Paterson Light and Shadow and the poetry collection, What Blooms in Winter. Her collection of poems paired with some of her paintings is The Girls in the Chartreuse Jackets. Her artist's website is MariaMazziottiGillan.com and her poetry website is MariaGillan.com.

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Reading and the 40th Anniversary of the Poetry Center

Allen Ginsberg and Maria Mazziotti Gillan at a reception for The Poetry Center at PCCC

This Saturday, February 1, 2020, you are invited to Paterson for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Poetry Center at PCCC and a reading by the winners of the 2019 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards.

Founded in 1980 by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, the Poetry Center has brought poetry to Paterson for 40 years through readings, workshops, and conferences.

A celebration ceremony and reception will be held on the first floor of the Hamilton Club Building starting at 11:30 am. Following the celebration, a reading by the winners of the 2019 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards will start upstairs in the Hamilton Club at 1 pm. Both programs are free and open to the public.

The historic Hamilton Club Building is located at 32 Church Street, corner of Ellison, in downtown Paterson. Free parking is available at the PCCC open lot at the corner of Church St. and College Blvd.

Hamilton Club - Photo: Mark Hillringhous

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Reading February 1

The winners of the 2019 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards will read their poems on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College (PCCC).

This free program will take place at 1:00 PM in the historic Hamilton Club Building, 32 Church Street, corner of Ellison, downtown Paterson. Free parking is available at the PCCC open lot at the corner of Church St. and College Blvd.

Readers will include:
1st prize winners, Francesca Maxime, Brooklyn, NY, and Marc Harshman, Wheeling, WV;
2nd prize winner, Edwin Romond, Wind Gap, PA;
3rd prize winner, June Avignone, Rochester, NY.

Honorable mention recipients
Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ; Norma Bernstock, Milford, PA; Bill Van Buskirk, Bryn Mawr, PA; Helen Marie Casey, Sudbury, MA; George Drew, Poestenkill, NY; James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ; Charles H. Johnson and Laine Sutton Johnson, Hillsborough, NJ; Diane Kerr, Pittsburgh, PA; Mary Makofske, Warwick, NY; Marie M. Marchand, Cheyenne, WY; Elizabeth Marchitti, Totowa, NJ; Marilyn Mohr, West Orange, NJ; Gloria g. Murray, Deer Park, NY; Frank Niccoletti, West Orange, NJ; Lisa Coll Nicolaou, Fair Lawn, NJ; Wanda S. Praisner, Bedminster, NJ; Maude Carolan Pych, Totowa Borough, NJ; Ellyn Joyce Rabinowitz, Nyack, NY; Robert A Rosenbloom, Bound Brook, NJ; Arthur Russell, Nutley, NJ; Matthew J. Spireng, Kingston, NY; Barrett Warner, Aiken, SC; Tamara Watson, Brooktondale, NY; Sherida Yoder, North Haledon, NJ; and James K. Zimmerman, Pleasantville, NY.

Editor’s choice recipients—Dianne Alvine, Barnegat, NJ; Charles W. Brice and Judith A. Brice, Pittsburgh, PA; Lorraine Conlin, Wantagh, NY; D. M. Dutcher, Highland Park, NJ; Linda Nemec Foster, Grand Rapids, MI; Michael S. Glaser, St. Mary's City, MD; Christie Grimes, Sackets Harbor, NY; Diane Khoury, Cresskill, NJ; Don Lynch, Kinnelon, NJ; Sheila O'Neill Massoni, Hackensack, NJ; Marion Paganello, Fair Lawn, NJ; Natasha Rabin, Nyack, NY; Kenneth Silvestri, Nyack, NY.

You are also invited to come to the Poetry Center early that day for a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Poetry Center.

A ceremony and reception in the parlor on the first floor of the Hamilton Club Building on beginning at 11:30 a.m. The Poetry Center was founded in 1980 by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, who is its executive director. The center has hosted thousands of poets over the years at readings, workshops and conferences. These include poet laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and others of national and international reputation, such as Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Lucille Clifton, Stanley Kunitz, Gerald Stern, William Stafford, Martin Espada, and Marge Piercy. The event is free, though we ask that you kindly RSVP to sdesai@pccc.edu

The Hamilton Club Building is wheelchair accessible, and other services, including large print materials and FM assistive listening devices, are available on request (call 973-684-5444). Parking is at the PCCC parking lot on College Blvd., between Memorial Dr. and Church St. For more information, visit our website at www.poetrycenterpccc.com.

The Poetry Center is funded, in part, by Passaic County Community College, individual and legacy donations, and a grant from the NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Dual Events Saturday February 1 at the Poetry Center in Paterson

Hamilton Club - Photo by Mark Hillringhouse

On Saturday, February 1, 2020, at the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College will host two programs.

At 11 a.m., there will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Poetry Center at PCCC. Founded in 1980 by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, the Center has brought poetry to Paterson for 40 years through readings, workshops, and conferences. A ceremony and reception will be held on the first floor of the Hamilton Club Building.

Following the celebration, please move to the second floor and enjoy a reading by the winners of the 2019 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards starting at 1 p.m.

Both programs are free and open to the public.

The historic Hamilton Club Building is located at 32 Church Street, corner of Ellison, in downtown Paterson. Free parking is available at the PCCC open lot at the corner of Church St. and College Blvd.

The Poetry Center is funded, in part, by Passaic County Community College, individual and legacy donations, and a grant from the NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Art and Poetry at the Hamilton Club in Paterson

Allen Ginsberg Award First Place Winner Jim Reese
and Poetry Center Director Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Winners of the Allen Ginsberg Award for poetry read their poems at an event on February 2, 2019. The reading was preceded by the opening reception for the gallery show, "Women Dreaming of Doors: Paintings and Prints" by Linda Hillringhouse. With both events being held in the Hamilton Club Gallery, a "full house" crowd generally came to not only view the paintings, but also to hear the poetry.

Readers included first prize winner Jim Reese (Yankton, SD), second prize winner Maria Fama (Philadelphia, PA) and third prize winner Lorraine Conlin (Wantagh, NY) . Also  reading were a number of Honorable Mention and Editor's Choice recipients.

Conjurer with Six Rings - Linda Hillringhouse

Linda Hillringhouse told northjersey.com that the show's title, "Women Dreaming of Doors," was inspired by her belief that "women in general, at least historically, have had doors shut in their faces and have had to find other doors, or backdoors. For me personally, I really spent a lifetime struggling to open internal doors to know myself and I was often surprised by what was behind them."

Hillringhouse's artwork is featured at The Museum of American Folk Art in New York City as part of the 20th Century Self-Taught Artists Archive Collection. Locally, her work has been featured at the Newark Museum, Paterson Museum, Belskie Museum and at universities, including William Paterson University’s Ben Shahn Center for Visual Arts, the Weinstein Gallery at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Yale School of Art.

Linda Hillringhouse discussing her paintings at the gallery show.

Linda is also a published poet with an MFA in poetry from Columbia University. She taught at Passaic County Community College for 25 years.

“I thought the connection between her as a poet and her as an artist was a very interesting connection,” said Maria Mazziotti Gillan, founder and executive director of the poetry center at Passaic County Community College. “Her paintings are so vibrant and alive, and she’s very much like that,” Gillan said.

Allen Ginsberg Awards Winners Reading February 2

Allen Ginsberg - Photo by Ellen Denuto

A reading with the Allen Ginsberg Awards Winners will be held at the Poetry Center at PCCC in Paterson, NJ on February 2, 2019 at 1pm.

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards honor Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American Literature and his ties to Paterson. Up to five unpublished poems may be submitted. The awards are as follows: first prize, $1,000; second prize, $200; third prize, $100. The deadline for the current contest is  February 1, 2019 Contest guidelines at www.poetrycenterpccc.com/awards/


Readers will include:
First Prize: Jim Reese (Yankton, SD)
Second Prize: Maria Fama (Philadelphia, PA)
Third Prize: Lorraine Conlin (Wantagh, NY)

Also, reading are the following honorable mention recipients:
Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ; R. Bremner, Glen Ridge, NJ; Shane Carreon, Binghamton, NY; David Crews, Warren, NJ; Anthony DeGregorio, Kent Lakes, NY; Gil Fagiani (in memory of), Long Island City, NY; Christie Grimes, Sackets Harbor, NY; James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ; Josh Humphrey, Kearny, NJ; Frances Lombardi-Grahl, Clifton, NJ; Nancy Lubarsky, Cranford, NJ; Francesca Maxime, Brooklyn, NY; Greg Moglia, Huntington, NY; Marilyn Mohr, West Orange, NJ; Gloria g. Murray, Deer Park, NY; Rachelle M. Parker, Montclair, NJ; Jennifer Poteet, Montclair, NJ; Natasha Rabin, Nyack, NY; Bernadette Roe, Endicott, NY; Arthur Russell, Nutley, NJ; Donna Baier Stein, Bernardsville, NJ; Maxine Susman, Princeton, NJ; Eileen Van Hook, Wanaque, NJ; Sherida Yoder, North Haledon, NJ; Neal Zirn, Denver, CO; and editor’s choice recipients—Charles W. Brice, Pittsburgh, PA; Judith A. Brice, Pittsburgh, PA; Okey Chenoweth, Oakland, NJ; Linda Nemec Foster, Grand Rapids, MI; Deborah Gerrish, Murray Hill, NJ; Annie Lanzillotto, Yonkers, NY; Maria Lisella, Long Island City, NY; Frank Niccoletti, West Orange, NJ; Christine Redman-Waldeyer, Manasquan, NJ; Kenneth Silvestri, Nyack, NY; Al Tacconelli, Wynnewood, PA; and Bob Ward, Brooklyn, NY.

Location: Hamilton Club Building, 32 Church Street (corner of Ellison St.), Paterson, NJ
Time: 1 PM
All readings are free and open to the public.
Visit PoetryCenterPCCC.com for information on readings, workshops, and for directions and parking information for the Poetry Center at PCCC.

Deadline for The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards is February 1, 2019

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards accepts submissions of up to five unpublished poems for consideration for the awards (first prize, $1,000; second prize, $200; third prize, $100).

The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2019.

Please see the full contest guidelines at www.poetrycenterpccc.com/awards/

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winners 2017 Read in Paterson

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winners for 2017 at reading in Paterson

Many of the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award Winners for 2017 read at an event at the Poetry Center this month.

Winners: first prize—Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ, and Robert A. Rosenbloom, Bound Brook, NJ; second prize—Eileen Van Hook, Wanaque, NJ; and third prize—Phillipa Scott, West Orange, NJ.

Honorable Mention: Eric Berlin (Baldwinsville, NY); Roberta Bisgyer (Stamford, CT); Gina Bortolussi (Haworth, NJ); R. Bremner (Glen Ridge, NJ); Gil Fagiani (L.I.C., NY); James D. Gwyn (Clifton, NJ); M.J. Harris (Upper Montclair, NJ); Josh Humphrey (Kearny, NJ); Leah Johnston-Rowbotham (Montclair, NJ); Adele Kenny (Fanwood, NJ); Barbara Krasner (Somerset, NJ); Leonard Kress (Bloomingdale, NJ); Stuart Leonard (Garwood, NJ); Elizabeth Marchitti (Totowa, NJ); Pat Mottola (Cheshire, CT); John Smith (Frenchtown, NJ); Carole Stone (Verona, NJ); Muriel Harris Weinstein (Great Neck, NY); Sherida Yoder (North Haledon, NJ).

Editor’s Choice: Donna L. Emerson (Petaluma, CA); Nancy Lubarsky (Cranford, NJ); Kenneth Silvestri (Nyack, NY); Al Tacconelli (Wynnewood, PA); Kelly Terwilliger (Eugene, OR).

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contributions to American Literature, are given annually to poets. First prize, $1,000; second prize, $200; and third prize, $100. Winning poems are published in the following year’s issue of the Paterson Literary Review.

More photos and coverage at www.pccc.edu/headline-news/headlines/poetry-center-hosts-reading-for-2017-allen-ginsberg-award-winners

Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards Reading

This weekend the Poetry Center at PCCC hosted readings by winners and finalists of the annual Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. The awards celebrate native Patersonian, Allen Ginsberg.

The Hamilton Club on Church Street was filled with poets and lovers of poetry. 

"Paterson has such a rich history of poetry between Ginsberg and William Carlos Williams," said Maria Mazziotti Gillan, executive director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, which oversees the awards. "This is a way to bring that history to the present."

Story and video via www.northjersey.com

Allen Ginsberg Award Winners Reading February 3

The DISTINGUISHED POETS SERIES OF THE POETRY CENTER AT PCCC will present the Allen Ginsberg Award Winners reading on Saturday, February 3.

The 2017 winners include:
Howard Berelson and Robert A. Rosenbloom—1st place
Eileen Van Hook—2nd Place
Phillipa Scott—3rd place.


The award honors Ginsberg’s contribution to American Literature. Up to five unpublished poems may be submitted for contest consideration. The awards are first prize, $1,000; second prize, $200; third prize, $100. Deadline: February 1, 2018.

For a full list of winners, contest guidelines and directions to the Poetry Center reading, see www.poetrycenterpccc.com/

Submission Deadline for Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

Honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contribution to American literature and his Paterson upbringing, this annual poetry competition awards a first prize of $1000, second prize of $200 and a third prize of $100. Winning poems are featured in the Paterson Literary Review (PLR), and the poets are invited to read at The Poetry Center in historic downtown Paterson. (The reading for the current award winners will be on February 3 at the Poetry center.)

Up to five poems per person will be accepted for consideration. Submit four copies of each poem for distribution to the judges. No poem should be more than two manuscript pages. Since the poems will be judged anonymously, sheets which contain the poems should not have the poet’s name on them. Include a separate cover sheet with the poet’s name, mailing address, phone number, email address and the titles of the poems. Poems cannot be returned. Please do not submit poems that imitate Allen Ginsberg’s work. This competition does not accept electronic submissions.

The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2018.

For full contest rules and more information, see poetrycenterpccc.com/awards/