Milkweed Editions, one of Minneapolis' three fine nonprofit literary presses, has announced a major new prize for poetry. The Lindquist & Vennum Prize will carry a $10,000 award--putting it in the league of the Kate Tufts Award, one of poetry's most prestigious for emerging writers.

The competition is open to poets in the Upper Midwest---Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished and book-length, and the winner will receive a publication contract from Milkweed.

Submissions must be hard-copy only. This year's judge is Peter Campion, author of two collections of poetry and recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and other honors. He recently joined the MFA faculty at the University of Minnesota.

The Lindquist & Vennum Foundation, sponsor of the award, was established by the Lindquist & Vennum law firm of Minneapolis.

Submissions will open Tuesday, Nov. 15, and continue through the end of January. The winner will be announced in April.

Full guidelines are available on the Milkweed website.