A list of open calls for poetry submissions compiled from across the country and worldwide, updated weekly.
Miller Williams Poetry Prize
Sponsor – University of Arkansas Press
Deadline Date – September 30, 2023
Funding – $5,000.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
Every year, the University of Arkansas Press accepts submissions for the Miller Williams Poetry Series and from the books selected awards the $5,000 Miller Williams Poetry Prize in the following summer.
Objectives
The prize is given annually for a poetry collection. Manuscripts must be between sixty and ninety double-spaced pages. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies.
Eligibility
Manuscripts must be between sixty and ninety pages. The manuscript must be previously unpublished. Individual poems may have been published in chapbooks, journals, and anthologies. Work in translation is not accepted. Friends, family, current students, and former students of the editor should refrain from submitting. No more than one manuscript is permitted per author, and no more than one author per manuscript is allowed. Manuscripts under publication consideration or prize competition elsewhere are allowed provided we are notified immediately of their acceptance. Any author who has had a manuscript published in the series should not apply again until three years after the publication date of said volume.
A readers’ fee of $28 must be paid at the time of submission.
Funding
This prize goes to all three books selected for the series. Three of the books are announced as finalists for the Miller Williams Poetry Prize. One is further chosen as the winner of the prize and receives $5,000 in cash in addition to publication. The winner and the finalists, whose work will be published in the year of the prize, will be notified by 15 July of the year preceding the year of the prize.
Philip Levine Prize in Poetry
Sponsor – California State University, Fresno
Deadline Date – September 30, 2023
Funding – $2,000.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Philip Levine Prize for Poetry seeks previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscripts and is open to any poet writing in English. Individual poems in a contest manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the work as a whole must be unpublished. Translations are ineligible for this prize, as well as previously self-published books. The sponsor will provide a $2,000 prize, publication by Anhinga Press, 25 author copies of the published book, and a public reading at California State University, Fresno.
Objectives
The Philip Levine Prize for Poetry seeks previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscripts and is open to any poet writing in English. Individual poems in a contest manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the work as a whole must be unpublished. Translations are ineligible for this prize, as well as previously self-published books.
Eligibility
Current and former faculty and students of California State University, Fresno are ineligible. Close friends and family members of the final judge are also ineligible. Multiple submissions are accepted so long as a separate entry fee accompanies each submission.
Funding
The sponsor will provide a $2,000 prize, publication by Anhinga Press, 25 author copies of the published book, and a public reading at California State University, Fresno.
Tom Hoard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
Sponsor – Winning Writers
Deadline Date – September 30, 2023
Funding – $3,000
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest welcomes unpublished works of poetry. There are $9,000 in prizes available.
Objectives
Submissions may be on any theme, up to 250 lines each. The Tom Howard Prize will be awarded for a poem in any style or genre, and the Margaret Reid Prize for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive awards for poetry in any style.
For the purpose of the Margaret Reid Prize, a poem in a traditional style employs regular meter and/or rhyme, or is written in a recognized poetic form. This includes traditional Western forms such as ballads, sonnets, and blank verse, Asian forms such as tanka and haiku, and other traditional forms.
Eligibility
There is no restriction on the age of the author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). There is an entry fee of $22 for each submission of 1 to 3 poems. Individuals may enter as many submissions as they wish.
Funding
The following prizes will be awarded:
- TOM HOWARD PRIZE: $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre
- MARGARET REID PRIZE: $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style
- The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from Duotrope (a $100 value)
- Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $300 each (any style).
- The top 12 entries will be published online
Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
Sponsor – African Poetry Book Fund
Deadline Date – October 1, 2023
Funding – $1,000.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry is awarded annually to a book published in the previous calendar year by an African poet.
Objectives
This Pan African Poetry Prize, established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet, is the only one of its kind in the world.
Eligibility
The Luschei Prize for African Poetry is open to any book of original poetry, in English, published during the previous calendar year in a standard edition of a full-length collection of poetry written by any African writer. Books must be submitted in the year after their publication. An “African writer” is taken to mean someone who was born in Africa, who is a national or resident of an African country, or whose parents are African. A standard edition is 48 pages or more in length. Only poetry submissions in English can be considered, but published works of translation are welcomed for consideration. There is no entry fee.
Funding
The author receives an award of $1,000.
American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize in Poetry
Sponsor – American Poetry Review
Deadline Date – October 2, 2023
Funding – $3,000.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The annual American Poetry Review /Honickman First Book Prize offers publication of a book of poems, a $3,000 award, and distribution by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium.
Objectives
Each year a distinguished poet is chosen to be the judge of the prize and write an introduction to the winning book.
Eligibility
The prize is open to poets who have not published a book-length collection of poems with a registered ISBN. Poems previously published in periodicals or limited-edition chapbooks may be included in the manuscript, but the manuscript itself must not have been published as a book-length work exceeding 48 pages.
Funding
The prize of $3,000, with an introduction by the judge and distribution of the winning book by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium, will be awarded in 2023 with the publication of the book in the same year. The author will receive a standard book publishing contract, with royalties paid in addition to the $3,000 prize.
Poetry Contest
Sponsor – Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
Deadline Date – October 16, 2023
Funding – $1,000.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival hold an annual contest for the best poem.
Objectives
Applicants should submit 2-4 original, unpublished poems of any style or theme, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.
Eligibility
This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of poetry. Published books include self-published books, chapter books, or any book with an ISBN. Those who have published books in other genres besides poetry remain eligible.
Funding
The Grand Prize includes:
- $1,000;
- VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the Festival;
- Public reading at the next Festival.
The top finalists will receive a panel pass ($100 value) to the Festival. Their names will be published on the sponsor’s website, e-newsletter, and social media pages.
Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry
Sponsor – Persea Books
Deadline Date – November 1, 2023
Funding – $1,000.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
This annual competition sponsors the publication of a poetry collection by a female-identifying poet who has yet to publish a full-length poetry book. The winner receives an advance of $1,000.00 and publication of her collection by Persea. In addition, the winner receives the option of an all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center, a renowned artists retreat housed in a fifteenth-century castle in Umbertide, Italy.
Objectives
Submitted manuscripts should be at least 48 pages of poetry. In addition, they should include a title page displaying the collection title only. No identifying information should be included anywhere in the submission. Submissions should not include publication credits, acknowledgments, thank-yous, or dedications.
Eligibility
Entrants must identify as female, and must be U.S. citizens (living anywhere in the world) or currently be living in the United States regardless of citizenship.
Funding
The winner receives an advance of $1,000.00 and publication of her collection by Persea.
Poetry Award
Sponsor – Hackney Literary Awards
Deadline Date – November 30, 2023
Funding – $600.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Hackney Literary Awards annual competition awards prizes for poetry. The first place prize is $600.
Objectives
This competition recognizes excellence in poetry and fiction with prizes at the national level and for the state of Alabama. For the poetry contest, the entry length is not to exceed 50 lines per entry. More than one poem may be submitted, but all poems together must not exceed the 50-line limit per entry. Only original, unpublished manuscripts may be entered.
Funding
The annual poetry competition awards the following prizes: 1st place, $600; 2nd, $400; 3rd, $250.
Tony Quagliano International Poetry Award
Sponsor – Tony Quagliano Poetry Fund
Deadline Date – December 1, 2023
Funding – $1,000.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Tony Quagliano International Poetry Award recognizes an accomplished poet with an outstanding body of innovative, cutting-edge work pushing the boundaries of poetic craft, such as experimental approaches to form and/or language. This award also recognizes a poet who contributes meaningfully to a literary community. Preference is given to poets with connection to Hawai‘i and/or the Pacific.
Objectives
This award recognizes an accomplished poet with an outstanding body of innovative, cutting-edge work pushing the boundaries of poetic craft.
Poets must submit three pdf files as described below:
- 20 pages of published or unpublished poetry (please do not include the name of the poet on any of these pages)
- A statement explaining the applicant’s work to build and strengthen a literary community (i.e., working with local community literary organizations, supporting other writers as a publisher/editor, organizing literary events, teaching or giving workshops in the community, advocating for underserved communities). The applicant’s name should not be included in this statement.
- To establish eligibility the applicant must submit a bibliography of at least 25 poems that have been published in journals, anthologies, chapbooks, or books (print or online). The citations should include the title and date of each source publication. No more than 5 poems should be from any one source. The heading for this bibliography should provide the name, address, phone number, and email address of the poet.
Applicants will be judged 75% on quality of published work and 25% on literary community involvement.
Eligibility
Applicants must be a resident of a US state or territory. Submissions must be in English.
Funding
The award is for $1,000.
Women’s Pamphlet Competition
Sponsor – Mslexia
Deadline Date – December 4, 2023
Funding – $315.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
Mslexia holds and annual Women’s Pamphlet Competition collections of up to 20 poems, of up to 24 pages, by poets who have never had a full-length collection published.
Objectives
Entries should not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere, in print or online, by a mainstream or an independent publisher.
Self-published manuscripts entered into the novel competitions are eligible, provided they have not sold more than 500 copies.
Eligibility
Entrants do not have to subscribe to Mslexia to be eligible, but they do have to self-identify as a woman. Mslexia will accept entries from women of any age of any nationality from any country. This includes under-18s.
There is a £20 entry fee. Applicants may enter as many times as they like, provided each collection is accompanied by the £20 entry fee.
Funding
The winning entrant will receive £250 plus publication by Bloodaxe Books. A selected poem from the winning pamphlet will be published in Mslexia.
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award
Sponsor – Poetry Society of America
Deadline Date – December 31, 2023
Funding – $2,500.00
Program Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Robert H. Winner Memorial Award of $2,500 is given for a manuscript of 10 pages by a mid-career poet who has not had substantial recognition.
Objectives
The Robert H. Winner Memorial Award is given for a manuscript of 10 pages by a mid-career by a poet who has not had substantial recognition.
Eligibility
The competition is open to poets 40 and over who have published no more than one full-length collection of poetry. Poets who have not published a poetry collection are eligible.
Funding
The award consists of $2,500.
George Bogin Memorial Award
Sponsor – Poetry Society of America
Deadline Date – December 31, 2023
Funding – $500.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
The George Bogin Memorial Award is presented for a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms.
Objectives
The George Bogin Memorial Award is presented for a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of its forms.
Eligibility
Awards are open to Poetry Society of America members for free. The fees for non-members are: single poem awards $10, multiple poem awards are $15. Only one entry per award is permitted.
Funding
The prize consists of $500.
Lyric Poetry Award
Sponsor – Poetry Society of America
Deadline Date – December 31, 2023
Funding – $500.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Lyric Poetry Award is a $500 prize that is given for a lyric poem on any subject.
Objectives
The Lyric Poetry Award is given for a lyric poem on any subject.
Eligibility
Awards are open to Poetry Society of America members for free. The fees for non-members is $10. Only one entry per award is permitted.
Funding
The prize consists of $500.
Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award
Sponsor – Poetry Society of America
Deadline Date – December 31, 2023
Funding – $250.00
Information – View Details
Synopsis
The Poetry Society of America (PSA) gives an award of $250 for a short poem, no longer than 16 lines. The submission must not have been previously published or accepted for publication.
Objectives
The Poetry Society of America (PSA) gives an award for a short poem, no longer than 16 lines.
Eligibility
Awards are open to Poetry Society of America members for free. The fee for non-members is $10 for this award. Only one poem may be submitted.
Funding
The prize consists of $250.
