The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

Editorial Policy/Hecht Contest Process 

• The judge is announced publicly in advance of the contest opening. Students, former students, and close friends of the judge are ineligible for the prize and asked not to submit. Please note: This editorial policy is a change from previous years, when the judge was not announced until the winner had been chosen. 

• Manuscripts are read by an informal committee of editorial board members and Hecht Prize readers. All members of the board are connected to Waywiser as authors, and many of our readers are former Hecht Prize winners. We all have a deep commitment to the press and the prize, and to the dignity of contestants. We read each manuscript with respect and care. 

• Each manuscript is read by two readers. At this stage, readers and board members recuse themselves from reading any manuscripts from students, former students, or close friends. 

• Readers and board members each recommend a smaller number of manuscripts to go forward as semi-finalists. The director of the Hecht prize facilitates this process. 

• The editorial board reads all the semi-finalists and determines which manuscripts will go forward as finalists to the judge. At this stage, board members will read semi-finalist manuscripts from students, former students, or close friends, but they will generally recuse themselves from formally voting on whether those manuscripts go forward to the final judge. 

• Finalists are notified and asked to resubmit their manuscripts stripped of all identifying author information. Manuscripts then go to the final judge. 

• Once the judge reaches a decision, the director of the Hecht Prize is notified, as is the editorial board, and the director notifies the winner. Once the winner has confirmed the manuscript is still available and eligible for the prize, the press makes the results public to the public and other contestants.