The 2026 Robert Phillips Chapbook Prize: Guidelines

The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize

Prize: $1,000

Final Judge: francine j. harris

Established in 2001, The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize highlights one book a year that excels in the chapbook format. Since 2024, the Prize comes with a $1,000 advance, a standard royalty contract, and 10 copies of the published book.

Recent judges include KB Brookins, Carolyn Hembree, Alison Pelegrin, Taylor Johnson, Benjamin Garcia, and Esther Lin.

General Guidelines

• Submissions are open January 1 – March 31.
• Submissions are anonymous.
• A fee of $20 must be paid at the time of submission.
• Open to any poet writing in English. Translations are not eligible.
• Poems may have been published individually in magazines or anthologies, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify TRP immediately by withdrawing the manuscript via Submittable if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Submissions are accepted through Submittable only.
• Winner will receive a $1,000 advance, publication with TRP: The University Press of SHSU, and 10 copies of the published book.
• Winner will be announced via Submittable and on the TRP website in the fall.

Manuscript Guidelines

• Manuscripts may be no longer than 40 pages.
• Please include a table of contents, title page, and page numbers.
• Do not include an acknowledgments page.
• No more than one poem per page. (Multi-page poems are welcome. Start each poem on a new page.)
• Submissions are judged on an anonymous basis. Please remove any personally identifying information from the manuscript. (Name, contact info, etc.)
• Submit as a .pdf, .docx, or .doc file format.
• No revisions will be accepted once the manuscript is uploaded.

Eligibility

• Open to anyone writing in English.
• Submitters must be 18+ years of age.
• Translations are not eligible.
• Manuscripts may make use of other languages, as long as English remains the primary language throughout the work.
• Previously published manuscripts—including self-published or out-of-print works—are not eligible.
• Individual pieces may have appeared in magazines or anthologies, but the work as a whole must be unpublished.

Conflict of Interest Restrictions

• Current and former TRP authors are not eligible.
• Family of the final judge or TRP staff are not eligible.
• Current or former students* of the final judge or TRP staff are not eligible.
• Current and former students and faculty of Sam Houston State University are not eligible.

*Writers who studied with TRP staff or the final judge for a semester-length period are not eligible. Writers who studied with TRP staff or the final judge for two-week residencies, single workshops, or other instances less than a semester in length are eligible, provided the work submitted is previously unseen by TRP staff or the final judge.