Laura Boss was a celebrated New Jersey poet who left us in 2021. In addition to her seven books and her founding and editing of Lips magazine for 40 years, she spent an enormous amount of time mentoring and inspiring other poets. As a tribute to Laura and in an effort to continue her mission of supporting poets and poetry, the Laura Boss Poetry Foundation will sponsor:
The Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Award - The winning manuscript will be awarded a cash prize of $5000 and book publication by NYQ Books. The submission period is January - March.
Lips poetry magazine - an annual spring publication. Submissions are accepted fromSeptember through the end of November each year.
The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation, and all donations to support its work are tax-deductible.
The submission period is from January 1 to March 31, 2026. The submission fee is $25.
Submit up to 10 poems from the manuscript, not to exceed 10 pages total, with each poem starting on a new page. Do not include any identifying information on the submitted poems. Your work will be disqualified if your name or contact info appears on the manuscript or on the file name. This submission form will capture your contact information in the cover letter field, but hide it from readers and the final judge. The cover letter must contain your name, contact information, and a brief bio.
Manuscripts can include individual poems that were previously published in periodicals or online, as long as the manuscript itself has not been published in chapbook or book form.
Revision of sample submissions is not allowed during the submission period, so be sure your sample is ready. You are welcome to withdraw and resubmit your sample; however, the new submission will incur an additional $25 entry fee.
If these poems are in a manuscript that is accepted by another publisher, immediately withdraw your entry through Submittable.
Semi-finalists will be notified by June 1 and asked to submit their full manuscripts (70-90 pages) by June 30.
Five finalists and the winner will be selected from the semi-finalist manuscripts, and notifications will be announced by early September.
All entries will be read anonymously. The semifinalists will be chosen by a committee selected by the Laura Boss Poetry Foundation. The final judge for 2026 is Marge Piercy, who will choose the winner and five finalists from the semi-finalists.
Any questions about your active submission should be made through Submittable and remain anonymous.
Lips was founded in 1981 by Laura Boss. Now entering its fifth decade, it has published poems by Robert Bly, Allen Ginsberg, Ruth Stone, David Ignatow, Marge Piercy, Michael Benedikt, Nicholas Christopher, Anne Waldman, Ishmael Reed, Gregory Corso, Lyn Lifshin, Ted Berrigan, Paul Hoover, Jana Harris, Toi Derricotte, Joseph Bruchac, Alice Notley, Warren Woessner, Robert Phillips, Hal Sirowitz, Theodore Weiss, Alicia Ostriker, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Stanley H. Barkan, Michael Weaver, Molly Peacock and Richard Kostelanetz.
We recommend that contributors review a copy of the magazine before submitting poems. You might obtain a copy at your library, or by purchasing a copy of the latest issue or a back issue here.