Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize
The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize is awarded every other year and comes with a $2000 prize. Together, Noemi and the Montoya Prize can further our mission of centering marginalized and counter culture voices, while also extending our continued commitment to writers of the Latin American diaspora. The 2026 prize will be judged by Rigoberto González and published by Noemi Press.
The 2024 winner was María Esquinca, selected by Juan Felipe Herrera. Her book, Where Heaven Sinks, was published in September 2025 by the University of Nevada Press.
History of the Prize
The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize was established in 2004 by Letras Latinas, the literary initiative of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, to support the publication of a first full-length book of poems by a Latinx poet residing in the United States. The Montoya Prize is named after the late Chicano poet from Fresno and honors Montoya’s enduring literary legacy.
Winners have reflected a broad range of backgrounds and aesthetic styles and have gone on to prolific and decorated careers. Judges of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize have included the most prominent voices in Latinx literature, including former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, former California and U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, National Book Award winner Martín Espada, and foundational poets such as Francisco X. Alarcón and Rhina P. Espaillat.
About the Guest Judge
Rigoberto González
Guest Judge
Rigoberto González is the author of 20 books of poetry and prose, and the editor of Latino Poetry, a Library of America anthology. His awards include the PEN/Voelcker Award in Poetry, the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets, the Shelley Memorial Prize from the Poetry Society of America, a Lambda Literary Award, The Poetry Center Book Award, Guggenheim, Lannan, NEA, NYFA, and USA Rolón fellowships. He is currently distinguished professor at the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers-Newark, the State University of New Jersey.
Andrés Montoya and His Legacy
Born on May 18th, 1968, Andrés Montoya died from leukemia on May 26th, 1999, at the age of 31. His first collection, the ice worker sings and other poems (Bilingual Press, 1999), was awarded the 1997 Chicano/Latino Literary Prize from the University of California, Irvine, judged that year by Francisco X. Alarcón. The published book was released shortly after Montoya’s death and later won a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 2000. In a 2008 essay, influential poet and critic, Rigoberto González, wrote that “having read (and reviewed) so many worthy books of poetry written by Chicanos and Latinos, I make the following declaration very much informed by what has been written and published in the past: in this generation, the iceworker sings should be known as the finest book of poetry to come out of our community.”
A committed political activist, Montoya didn’t shy away from confrontation or controversy. As student-body president at Fresno State, he fought against tuition hikes and was a forceful advocate for underrepresented groups. Articles on Montoya's student activism can be viewed here. Later, as an instructor at Chabot College, he led a student walkout in protest of California's Prop 209 and was alleged to have knocked over a police motorcycle. Following this incident, his teaching contract wasn't renewed.
“The late Andrés Montoya resided in Fresno, California. He had been a field hand, ditch digger, canner, and ice plant worker, and sometimes a teacher of writing.” – from the back cover of the iceworker sings and other poems. Read more about Montoya.
