Shelley Memorial Award

The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.^[1] The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and was worth between $6,000 and $9,000 in 2015.^[2] The selection was made by a jury of three poets: one each appointed by the presidents of Radcliffe and Berkeley, and the third by the Board of Governors of the Society.^[2] More recently, the selection has been made by a jury of two: one appointed by the president of Berkeley and the second by the Society.^[3]