The editors of Cider Press Review are honored to announce that Rhizomes and Bones by Annette Sisson has won the 2026 CPR Editors’ Prize.
Competition for the 2026 CPR Editors’ Prize was unusually fierce. Twelve manuscripts emerged as semi-finalists, and it took several rounds of judging to whittle that number down to six finalists. Every editor had a different take and favorite, with each editor presenting strong reasons why their preferred manuscript was the right choice. Even then, the differences in scores between those manuscripts were slight. In the end, the first- and second-place manuscripts’ scores were separated by a sliver.
Finalists are, in order of finish:
Winner:
First Runner-Up:
Second Runner-Up:
Finalist, Honorable Mention:
Finalist, Honorable Mention:
Finalist, Honorable Mention:
Rhizomes and Bones, Annette Sisson
The Song Inside Your Body, Amanda Auchter
Salt and Ambrosia, Jennifer Louvet
Varmint, Ashley Danielle Ryle
A Woman and Her Gods, Lindsay Rockwell
Wrentit, Courtney Huse Wika
Annette Sisson has two previous poetry collections, Small Fish in High Branches, published by Glass Lyre Press (2022) and Winter Sharp with Apples, published by Terrapin Books (2024).
Sisson will receive a prize of $1,000, publication by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies. Rhizomes and Bones is tentatively scheduled for release in August, 2027.
