Competition Guidelines

Turtle Light Press invites submissions to its bi-annual Haiku Chapbook Competition by December 1, 2009. The winning manuscript will be announced in February 2010. The author will be awarded 10 free copies plus a contract for 10 percent royalties on the sale of other copies of the chapbook. In general, we are open to both traditional and modern-style haiku but have a particular fondness for haiku that deal with both people and nature. The competition is open to published and unpublished writers. Rick Black will be the primary judge of the contest in consultation with other poets.

Once a winner is announced, the winner will work with our production team on various aspects of the chapbook design and the use of images to complement the poems. An introduction or preface might be possible depending on the page length of the winning manuscript, layout and paper choice. TLP reserves the right to make all final decisions with regard to titling the manuscript, page length, design and layout, and the use of images.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit an original, unpublished collection or sequence of poems on a theme of your choice between 12 - 24 pages, two haiku per page maximum. On a single detachable sheet, a cover page should contain the manuscript title, author’s name, address, phone number, and email. The author’s name should not appear anywhere else. A second title page should be provided without the author’s name or other identification. Please provide a table of contents, if there is one, and any other pages that should appear in the published edition. Manuscripts should be typed and bound with a simple clip. A second, electronic copy should be submitted as an attached file to chapbook@turtlelightpress.com with "Chapbook Competition" written in the subject heading.

While individual poems may have appeared in journals or anthologies, they should not have run as part of a book length collection and should not be under consideration elsewhere, either in another competition or by another publisher.

Reading Fee: Please send a $30 check payable to Turtle Light Press in U.S. dollars. American and Canadian poets can opt to pay with a Visa or Master Card. Overseas poets should inquire about payment methods. Please include one SASE for notification of the winner and another to confirm receipt of your manuscript; if you would prefer, we can send you an email instead to confirm receipt. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Address: Send a hard copy of your submission to the following address: Turtle Light Press, P.O. Box 1405, Highland Park, NJ. An electronic copy should be submitted as an attached file to chapbook@turtlelightpress.com with "Chapbook Competition" written in the subject heading.

Deadline: Manuscripts must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2009.

The winner of the 2008 Turtle Light Press Haiku Chapbook Competition was Michael McClintock, and his chapbook, Sketches from the San Joaquín, has been released.