Rita Dove, the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and Nikki Giovanni, recently retired professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, are two of 11 poets who have been awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. The distinction, announced by the Poetry Foundation’s 2022 Pegasus Awards, includes a $100,000 award given to each poet.

Ms. Dove and Ms. Giovanni each have had successful academic careers at universities, and long before they led classrooms they established themselves as award-winning, world-renowned poets.

Ms. Dove served as the poet laureate for the United States from 1993 to 1995 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her third collection of poetry, “Thomas and Beulah.” She has written a novel, a book of short stories, essays, and several volumes of poetry. “Collected Poems 1974–2004” was a National Book Award finalist and earned Ms. Dove an NAACP Image Award. The New York Times named her latest work, “Playlist for the Apocalypse,” a “Top Book of 2021.”

Ms. Giovanni retired Sept. 1 from Virginia Tech after a 35-year tenure with the school. As a poet and essayist, she is known for her fearless criticism and commentary on social issues and exposing the intricate complexities of bias and prejudice that exist at the intersection of race and gender. She has published 11 illustrated children’s books, received seven NAACP Image Awards and has been a finalist for an Emmy, a Grammy and the National Book Award. She also holds 30 honorary degrees.

The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize usually recognizes one U.S. poet each year for outstanding lifetime achievement. This year, 11 poets were recognized in celebration of Poetry magazine’s 110th year, and the Poetry Foundation’s 20-year anniversary in 2023.

The other nine award recipients include: Sandra Cisneros, CAConrad, Juan Felipe Herrera, Angela Jackson, Haki Madhubuti, Sharon Olds, Sonia Sanchez, Patti Smith, and Arthur Sze.

The award recipients will be recognized at a ceremony in Chicago this month.