The award was founded by the Patrick Kavanagh Society in 1971 to commemorate the poet.
Since 2009 the Judge of the Award and President of the Society has been the poet, novelist and screenwriter Brian Lynch.
Past judges have included Brendan Kennelly, John Montague, Gerald Dawe, Thomas McCarthy, Theo Dorgan, Paula Meehan, Conor O'Callaghan, Vona Groarke, Moya Cannon, and Gabriel Rosenstock.
It is now run by the society in conjunction with the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen.
Dancing with Kitty Stobling: Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award Winners, 1971–2003 is a selection of poems edited by Antoinette Quinn and was published by Liliput Press in 2004.