Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships
Scholarship Sponsored by Poetry Foundation
Overview
The Poetry Foundation annually awards five Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships. Each fellowship provides a $27,000 prize to support outstanding U.S. poets between the ages of 21 and 31. These awards rank among the largest grants for emerging poets in the United States. The program began in 1989 through the philanthropy of Ruth Lilly and was expanded in 2013 by the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund.
Who is eligible
- Applicants must be between 21 and 31 years old during the calendar year 2025. (If you will turn 21 or will be 31 at any point in 2025, you are eligible.)
- Applicants must either be U.S. citizens or currently live in the United States.
- Applicants should show a clear, demonstrable commitment to their poetic practice.
- One selection priority for the 2025 fellowships is to support poets who have not yet received substantial institutional backing in their careers.
How to apply
- All applications must be submitted through the Poetry Foundation’s Grants and Awards Online Portal. Begin by completing the initial registration form. Registrations are typically approved within 3–5 business days.
- If you already created an account in 2022 or 2023, do not register again. Your username is your email address; if needed, request a password reset.
- Once your registration is approved, you will upload a single PDF containing 10 pages of poetry and answer application questions about your creative practice.
- Alternative submission formats (for example, audio, video, or an interview with a transcription) are available. To arrange an alternate format that meets your accessibility needs, contact [email protected] or call 312-799-8072 by February 14, 2025.
Key dates and deadlines
- January 15, 2025 — Applications open
- February 5, 2025, 1:00–2:00 PM (CST) — Virtual information session (details below)
- February 14, 2025 — Deadline to request alternative application formats
- February 24, 2025 — Final date to submit portal registration for first-time applicants (to ensure approval in time to apply)
- March 3, 2025, 5:00 PM (CST) — Application submission deadline
- Mid-June 2025 — All applicants will be notified of decisions
Information session
A virtual information session will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 1:00–2:00 PM (CST) to walk through the application process and answer questions. ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided. If you have questions or need accommodations, email [email protected].