The Paul Engle Prize ($25,000)
Paul Engle Prize: $25,000 Award Honoring Global Literary Citizenship
The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature presents the Paul Engle Prize, an annual literary award recognizing writers, editors, publishers, and teachers whose work strengthens literature and the global literary community.
Named after poet and educator Paul Engle, the prize celebrates individuals whose contributions extend beyond writing to include mentorship, publishing, translation, teaching, and literary advocacy.
Unlike many literary awards, the Paul Engle Prize does not honor a single book or publication. Instead, it recognizes a lifetime of literary citizenship and influence.
The winner receives $25,000 and a one-of-a-kind artwork, and is honored at a ceremony typically held during or around the Iowa City Book Festival.
Learn more about the prize here:
https://www.
Eligibility Requirements for the Paul Engle Prize
Nominees should:
- Demonstrate a pioneering spirit in literature
- Contribute to the literary world through writing, editing, publishing, teaching, or translation
- Show active engagement with social or cultural issues
- Advance literature through community impact beyond the page
The award recognizes overall literary achievement and influence, rather than a specific work.
Important:
- Self-nominations are not accepted.
- Multiple nominations for the same writer should ideally be consolidated into a single nomination.
Nomination Guidelines
Nominations must include:
- The author’s full name
- A list of notable works or achievements
- A statement explaining why the writer fits the prize criteria
- Optional but recommended:
- Author CV
- Contact information
Submit nominations by email to:
Deadline
The nomination window runs annually from November 1 to March 15.
A panel assembled by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature Board of Directors reviews submissions and selects the winner.
2025 Winner
The 2025 Paul Engle Prize was awarded to poet, editor, and translator Cole Swensen.
Swensen taught at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop from 2001 to 2012 and later at Brown University.
Her achievements include:
- Author of 20 poetry collections
- Finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize
- Finalist for the National Book Award
- Winner of the National Translation Award
She has translated more than 30 books of French poetry and criticism and founded La Presse, an imprint dedicated to translating contemporary French poetry.
Recent Prize Winners
Recent recipients of the prize include:
- Camille Dungy (2024) – poet and professor at Colorado State University
- Joan Naviyuk Kane (2023) – Inupiaq poet and educator
- Rebecca Solnit (2021) – writer and historian
- Eve L. Ewing (2020) – poet, scholar, and cultural critic
- Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady (2019) – co-founders of Cave Canem
- Dina Nayeri (2018) – novelist and essayist
- Alexander Chee (2017)
- Roxane Gay (2016)
- Sara Paretsky (2015)
- Luis Alberto Urrea (2014)
- Kwame Dawes (2013)
- James Alan McPherson (2011)
About Paul Engle
Paul Engle (1908–1991) was an American poet, editor, and influential literary mentor.
He directed the Iowa Writers’ Workshop for 24 years and helped transform it into one of the most prestigious creative writing programs in the world.
Later, he co-founded the International Writing Program with Nieh Hualing, bringing writers from around the globe to collaborate in Iowa.
For their work promoting global literary exchange, the pair were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.
In 2000, Engle was declared “Poet of the Century” in Iowa, and his birthday—October 12—was officially designated Paul Engle Day.
