The Richard Wilbur Award is named in honor of the distinguished American poet Richard Wilbur

Richard Wilbur

Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....

 and was established at the University of Evansville

University of Evansville

The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...

 under the direction of William Baer

William Baer

William Baer is an award-winning American writer, editor, translator, and educator.The author of sixteen books, he's a former Fulbright and a Guggenheim fellow, as well as the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts creative writing grant....

. The competition welcomes submissions of unpublished, original poetry collections, and public domain or permission-secured translations may comprise up to one-third of the manuscript. This biennial competition (even-numbered years) is open to all American poets, and the winning manuscript is published by the University of Evansville Press.

The entry fee is $25 per manuscript, and the award is $1000.

Year	Winner	Collection
2011	Robert W. Crawford	The Empty Chair
2010	Marion Shore	Sand Castle
2009	Susan McLean Susan McLean Susan McLean is an American poet, and a professor of English at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.She graduated from Rutgers University with a PhD in 1990....	The Best Disguise
2008	Deborah Warren Deborah Warren Deborah Warren is an American poet.She graduated from Harvard University, with a BA in English.She worked as a teacher of Latin and English, and a software engineer....	Dream with Flowers and Bowl of Fruit
2007	David Stephenson David Stephenson (poet) David Stephenson is an American poet.He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in engineering....	Rhythm and Blues
2006	Richard Wakefield Richard Wakefield Richard Wakefield is an American poet, and literary critic.He has taught at the University of Washington Tacoma, and The Evergreen State College.He teaches at Tacoma Community College.-Life:He is poetry critic for the Seattle Times....	East of Early Winters
2005	Chelsea Rathburn Chelsea Rathburn Chelsea Rathburn is an American poet.She was raised in Miami, Florida.She graduated from the University of Arkansas with an MFA....	The Shifting Line
2004	Alfred Nicol Alfred Nicol Alfred Nicol was an English professional footballer who played as a winger. He played nine matches in the Football League.-References:...	Winter Light
2003	Thomas Carper Thomas Carper (poet) Thomas Carper is an American poet.His work has appeared in Poetry, The American Scholar, The Formalist, and The Review .-Works:*, Beloit Poetry Journal 29 , 7....	Distant Blue
2002	A. M. Juster	The Secret Language of Women
2001	Rhina Espaillat Rhina Espaillat Rhina Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic in 1932 and has lived in the United States since 1939. She taught English in the New York City public schools for many years, and retired to Newburyport, Massachusetts, where for more than a decade she has led a group of New Formalist poets known...	Rehearsing Absence
2000	Len Krisak Len Krisak Len Krisak is an American poet.He graduated from University of Michigan, and Brandeis University.He taught at Brandeis University, Northeastern University, and Stonehill College....	Even As We Speak
1999	A. E. Stallings A. E. Stallings Alicia Elsbeth Stallings is an American poet and translator. She was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow-Background:Stallings was raised in Decatur, Georgia and studied classics at the University of Georgia and University of Oxford. She is an editor with the Atlanta Review. In 1999, Stallings moved...	Archaic Smile
1998	Robert Daseler Robert Daseler Robert Daseler is an American playwright, and poet.He graduated from Pomona College in 1967.He was director of public affairs for Claremont McKenna College, and director of communication at the Office of the State Librarian....	Levering Avenue