The fourth annual Walrus Poetry Prize competition has been announced. Walrus poetry editor Damian Rogers will judge the contest along with Canadian poet Sue Sinclair.

“I’m excited to be working with the wonderful poet Sue Sinclair,” Rogers said, “and I’m looking forward to discovering many new voices throughout the process. I’m continually amazed by the depth and range of poetics in Canada.”

Rogers will be responsible for narrowing down the submissions to a short list, and Sinclair will select the $4,000 winner. The winner will be chosen blindly, with names revealed once the decisions are made and the short list is published online.

The Reader's Choice winner, chosen by the public, will receive $1000. On Sept. 1, five finalists will be revealed on the website. Readers have until Sept. 30 to vote for their favourite poem.

The Walrus Poetry Prize and the Readers’ Choice Award-winning poem will be published in the December 2015 issue of The Walrus and online. The winner will also appear in the anthology for Poetry in Voice, a nationwide poetry-recitation contest for high-school students.

Last year, up-and-coming poet Michael Prior won the contest and the Reader’s Choice prize.

The contest is founded and sponsored by the Hal Jackman Foundation, an organization committed to fostering creativity and enriching the community through the arts.

Poems can be submitted from May 15-June 30, and readers can view the winning poem on Nov. 4.