Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize

Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, annual prize given by the Poetry Foundation—an independent literary organization and publisher—to an American poet for lifetime achievement. The prize, which comes with an award of $100,000, was established in 1986 by philanthropist Ruth Lilly. It is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the field of poetry and English-language literature.

(Read Howard Nemerov’s Britannica essay on poetry.)

Lilly was the great-grandchild of pharmaceutical magnate Eli Lilly, founder of Eli Lilly and Company (1876). She endowed many organizations supporting education, medicine, and the arts and, in 2002, gave an endowment of approximately $200 million to the Modern Poetry Association (later the Poetry Foundation), publisher of Poetry magazine. Herself an aspiring poet, she had repeatedly attempted, unsuccessfully, to be published in the magazine. According to Lilly, the encouraging rejection letters she received over the years gave her enormous respect for the organization.

The prize was awarded for the first time in the amount of $25,000 to Adrienne Rich in 1986, at that time reportedly the largest award given to poets in the United States. The amount has increased incrementally since then.

The table provides a chronological list of Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize winners.