Scott King Award in Eco-Poetry

The Scott King Award in Eco-Poetry was instituted in 2026, to honor the memory of Scott King, whose Red Dragonfly Press focused on poetry that illuminated and deepened readers' connections with nature, ecology, environmentalism, rural life, and conservation. This competition is open to poets of all backgrounds and experience levels. The prize is $1,000 and publication under the new Red Dragonfly imprint of Trio House Press.

Anna Lena Phillips Bell will judge the 2026 Contest. She is the author of Might Could, winner of the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize, from Waywiser Books. She is also the author of Ornament, winner of the Vassar Miller Poetry Prize, and the chapbook Smaller Songs, from St Brigid Press. Her work appears in journals including the Southern Review, Orion, Electric Literature, Evergreen Review, and the Oxford American. The  recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in literature and  the Winter Anthology Award, she has served since 2013 as the editor of Ecotone.  She is an associate professor in the creative writing department at UNC  Wilmington, and calls ungendered Appalachian square dances in what’s  now called North Carolina and beyond. 

Please do not include any identifying information in the uploaded manuscript. Your title page should only display your title and not your name and contact information. Place your name and contact information in your cover letter only.

• Poetry manuscripts must be under 120 pages of poetry (excluding title page, table of contents, and all front matter), written in English by a poet residing within the U.S.
• No color illustrations or photographs should appear in the manuscript.
• No submissions from those living outside of the United States. Our marketing strategy depends upon authors living in the United States and actively assisting us in promoting their work.
• Poets and writers must submit their own work.
• Submissions generated using AI in any way are prohibited. We do not publish writing or artwork generated by AI.
• Translations are not eligible for publication, nor are previously published or self-published books
• Manuscripts must be sent in a single Word or PDF file with no identifying information in the file name.
• Include and upload your cover letter with your bio and contact information in the cover letter option area.
• Do not include any identifying material, including your name, bio, or contact information on your manuscript. 
• No edits can be made to manuscripts after you submit your manuscript.  However, if chosen for award or publication, edits can and likely will be made prior to final proofs.
• Include an acknowledgement page of individual poems published within the manuscript.  The manuscript as a whole must not be previously published.
• Multiple award submissions are accepted as long as a $25 fee accompanies each award submission.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as we are notified immediately if your manuscript is chosen elsewhere.
• Relatives and current or former students of judges are not eligible for awards or publication during our contest submissions period. Trio House Press and/or Red Dragonfly authors and staff are not eligible to enter contests.
• In the unlikely event that, due to unexpected illness or life events, that a judge is unable to select an award winner, a member of the Trio House Press Editorial staff will select the award winner.
• Your submission acknowledges that you understand and agree to all guidelines.
• Notifications about finalists and winners will be sent via Submittable.