Poetry contests open in November 2026

Poetry contests and book prizes taking entries now or opening later this month, soonest deadline first.

93 calls · updated Nov 14

1. Outskirts Literary Journal
   Closes todayJennifer A. Lurie Memorial Poetry Prize · Fee: $15 · Pays: $750 first, $150 second, $50 third
2. Anthology Magazine
   Open until Nov 15Anthology Poetry Competition · Fee: €22 late entry fee per poem, through November 15, 2026 · Pays: First €1,000; second €250; third €150. First prize includes potential publication.
3. The Arkansas International
   Open until Nov 15C.D. Wright Emerging Poet's Prize · Fee: $20 · Pays: $1,000 and publication
4. Empyrean Literary Magazine
   Open until Nov 15Winter 2026 Poetry Contest · Pays: Print copies and featured placement
5. Gunpowder Press
   Open until Nov 15Alta California Chapbook Prize · Fee: $15 entry only or $20 with winning chapbook. Email gunpowderpoetry@gmail.com about financial hardship. · Pays: $1,000, bilingual publication, 10 copies and Santa Barbara reading; Letras Latinas funds travel and lodging.
6. LitMag
   Open until Nov 15Emily Dickinson Award for Poetry · Fee: $20 · Pays: $1,500 first prize; $100 to three finalists
7. Nightboat Books
   Open until Nov 15Poetry Prize
8. River Heron Review
   Open until Nov 15River Heron Editors' Prize 2026 · Fee: $15 · Pays: $500 winner; $100 to each of four finalists
9. The Telling Room
   Open until Nov 15Statewide Writing Contest · Pays: Grand Prize $250 and publication in the spring anthology; County Winners $50 each and anthology publication
10. Yale University Press
    Open until Nov 15Yale Series of Younger Poets · Fee: $25 · Pays: Publication by Yale University Press and $1000
11. Community of Literary Magazines & Presses
    Open until Nov 18Firecracker Awards · Fee: $65 ($45 each additional; members $55/$35) · Pays: $2,000 prize
12. Lore Lorn
    Open until Nov 20Monster of the Month: Lussi · Fee: Free
13. Verve Poetry Press
    Open until Nov 20Poem of the Month · Fee: £3 per poem or £6 for three · Pays: £100 for the winning poem, featured on the website, social media and newsletter
14. AVBOB Poetry Project
    Open until Nov 30AVBOB Poetry Competition · Pays: R10 000 cash for the best poem in each of the 11 language categories (grand prize of R12 500 including a R2 500 book voucher and trophy); poems published in the online AVBOB Poetry Library earn a R300 usage fee.
15. Baltimore Review
    Open until Nov 30 Winter Contest - Prose Poem - 11/30/26 deadline · Fee: $8 · Pays: $400 prize
16. Black Fox Literary Magazine
    Open until Nov 30Black Fox Prize: Eclectic Endings · Fee: $12 per entry, nonrefundable. · Pays: $325, paid via PayPal, and print publication in the Winter 2027 issue.
17. Boa Editions
    Open until Nov 30A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize · Fee: $30 · Pays: $1,000 honorarium and publication
18. Ink Nest Poetry
    Open until Nov 30Poetry Contest - $100 Prize + Free Author Copy After Publication · Fee: $5 entry fee. · Pays: The winner receives $100, publication in the January 2027 issue, and a free author copy of the magazine.
19. Polyphony Lit
    Open until Nov 30Fall Contest 2026 · Fee: $4 continuation now listed; first 200 entries were free. · Pays: One winner and two finalists: Volume 22 publication, judge feedback and editor-training scholarship; no cash prize stated.
20. Polyphony Lit
    Open until Nov 30Latin & Heritage Contest 2026 · Fee: Free · Pays: Publication and editing course scholarship for winner and two finalists
21. Prism Review
    Open until Nov 30Poetry Contest · Fee: $10 · Pays: $250 and publication
22. University of Georgia Press
    Open until Nov 30Georgia Poetry Prize · Fee: $30 · Pays: $1,000 and publication
23. University of North Texas Press
    Open until Nov 30Rilke Prize · Fee: Free · Pays: $10,000 prize
24. Birdcoat Quarterly
    Open until Dec 1Editors' Choice Prize (Multigenre) · Fee: $10 · Pays: $250 first, $100 second, $50 third, plus publication
25. Black Warrior Review
    Open until Dec 12026 Digital Chapbook Contest · Fee: $15 · Pays: $500 each for two winners, plus digital chapbook publication.
26. Eterna Journal
    Open until Dec 3International Poetry Contest · Fee: $2–$5 · Pays: Three final winners receive cash prizes and inclusion in a special print anthology.
27. Palette Poetry
    Open until Dec 6Ouroboros Prize 2026 · Fee: $20 · Pays: $3,000 first prize
28. Mslexia
    Open until Dec 7Women's Poetry Competition 2026 · Fee: £12 · Pays: 1st £2,000; 2nd £500; 3rd £250; £250 Unpublished Poet Prize
29. Frontier Poetry
    Open until Dec 13Devotion & Divination Prize 2026 · Fee: $20 · Pays: $3,000 first prize plus publication
30. The Marrow International Poetry
    Open until Dec 14The Marrow Chapbook Prize · Fee: A$42 · Pays: A$1,000 plus publication and ten author copies
31. Black Warrior Review
    Open until Dec 152026 Hybrid Contest · Fee: $15 · Pays: $300 winner/$100 runner-up; online publication and print notation.
32. Massachusetts Center for the Book
    Open until Dec 15Massachusetts Book Awards · Fee: Free · Pays: Award and State House recognition
33. Poetry Society of America
    Open until Dec 15Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award · Fee: Free for members; non-member fee on site · Pays: $1,000 prize
34. Poetry Society of America
    Open until Dec 15Four Quartets Prize · Fee: Free · Pays: $20,000 prize
35. Poetry Society of America
    Open until Dec 15Robert H. Winner Memorial Award · Fee: Free for members; $15 for non-members · Pays: $2,500 prize
36. The Twin Bill
    Open until Dec 15E. Ethelbert Miller Poetry Prize · Fee: $10 · Pays: $100 and engraved baseball trophy; runner-up $50; honorable mention $25; publication online and in print.
37. Two Sylvias Press
    Open until Dec 15Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize · Fee: $24 · Pays: $1,000, publication and 20 author copies
38. LitMag
    Open until Dec 17Emily Dickinson Award for Poetry (2026) · Fee: $20 per entry · Pays: The first prize is $1,500, publication in LitMag, and review by agents at Trellis, CAA, WME, Aragi, Janklow & Nesbit, and Massie & McQuilkin. Three finalists receive $100 each, and all finalists are considered for agency review and publication.
39. Texas Institute of Letters
    Open until Dec 18Jesse H. Jones Fellowship · Fee: $35 · Pays: $10,000 fellowship
40. Action, Spectacle
    Open until Dec 31Editors’ Poetry & Prose Prize · Fee: $25 · Pays: $1,000 prize and publication, plus copies
41. Anamcara Press
    Open until Dec 31Amity Literary Prize · Fee: $25 · Pays: $1,000 prize
42. Black Caucus of the American Library Association
    Open until Dec 31Literary Awards · Fee: Free · Pays: $1,000 prize
43. Burnside Review
    Open until Dec 31Book Contest · Fee: $25 · Pays: $1,000 plus 10 copies of the book (every entrant also receives one Burnside Review Press title)
44. The Kenyon Review
    Open until Dec 31Kenyon Review Poetry Contest · Fee: $24 · Pays: Publication, payment and workshop scholarship
45. Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc.
    Open until Dec 31African Diaspora Award 2027 · Fee: $10 · Pays: Grand prize up to $1,000; runners-up $200 and $100; top 6 shortlist $25 Amazon gift cards; longlist finalists get anthology publication and a free Kindle copy
46. League of Canadian Poets
    Open until Dec 31League of Canadian Poets Book Awards (Gerald Lampert, Pat Lowther, Raymond Souster) · Fee: $25 per title per award (CAD) · Pays: $2,000 per award
47. Mezzo Cammin
    Open until Dec 31The Kim Bridgford Memorial Sonnet Contest · Fee: $12 for one sonnet, $16 for two, $20 for three, $24 for four, and $20 per sonnet crown.
48. The Society of Classical Poets
    Open until Dec 31International Poetry Competition · Fee: $20 · Pays: $2,000 first prize; $250 High School Prize
49. South Florida Poetry Journal (SoFloPoJo)
    Open until Dec 31Maureen Seaton Poetry Prize 2027 · Fee: Free · Pays: $500 prize
50. The Moth
    Open until Dec 31Poetry Prize · Fee: €17 per poem · Pays: €6,000 first prize; 3 × €1,000; 8 × €250
51. The Plentitudes
    Open until Dec 31Plentitudes Prize in Poetry · Pays: $1,000 / $300 / $200
52. Whimperbang
    Open until Dec 31Poetry Chapbook Prize · Pays: $250 honorarium plus 10 copies
53. Broken Tribe Press
    Open until Jan 1, 2027International Series: South America · Fee: $10 for collections; anthology free · Pays: Standard contract with author copies and annual royalty
54. Lawrence Landing Company (Serving House Books and Broken Tribe Press)
    Open until Jan 1, 2027Serving House Books International Series 2026 · Pays: Standard publishing contract with generous royalties and placement in the SHB International Series.
55. The Columbus Review
    Open until Jan 1, 2027Ouroborealis Poetry Prize · Fee: $10 · Pays: Share of a growing prize pool (from $50)
56. Gemini Magazine
    Open until Jan 2, 202717th Annual Poetry Open · Fee: $10 · Pays: $1,000 first, $100 second, four $25 honorable mentions
57. Bocas Lit Fest
    Open until Jan 4, 2027OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (Poetry category) · Fee: US$50 (TT$340) per title · Pays: US$3,000 to each category winner; US$10,000 to the overall winner
58. Arts Literature Laboratory
    Open until Jan 8, 2027Wisconsin Poetry Book Award · Fee: $30 · Pays: $1,000 prize and five-day residency
59. Arts Literature Laboratory
    Open until Jan 8, 2027Wisconsin Writers Awards · Fee: Submit eligible 2026-published books or short-form works in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction via the Wisconsin Writers Awards online portal. · Pays: $1,000 book prize; $500 short-form prize (plus five-day residency)
60. Colorado Review
    Open until Jan 14, 2027Colorado Prize for Poetry · Fee: $28 online or $25 by mail, including a one-year subscription. Limited hardship waivers: creview@colostate.edu; no repeat waiver within two years. · Pays: $2,500 advance against royalties and book publication in fall 2027.
61. Interim
    Open until Jan 15, 2027Test Site Poetry Series · Fee: $25 · Pays: $1,000 and book publication
62. Open Doors Review
    Open until Jan 15, 2027Open Doors Review Contest (Issue 10) · Fee: €12 (page also shows $12.00)
63. Poetry Society of Virginia
    Open until Jan 15, 2027North American Poetry Book Award · Fee: $36 ($25 PSV members) · Pays: $1,000 prize and reading invitation
64. Rattle
    Open until Jan 15, 2027Chapbook Prize · Pays: $5,000, 500 copies and distribution to Rattle's subscribers
65. New Literary Project
    Open until Jan 29, 2027Jack Hazard Fellowships · Fee: Free · Pays: $5,000 prize
66. Austin Community College
    Open until Jan 31, 2027Balcones Prizes · Fee: $25 (poetry); $30 fiction/nonfiction · Pays: $1,500 prize plus travel and lodging
67. Magma Poetry
    Open until Jan 31, 2027Magma Poetry Competition 2026/27 · Pays: £1,000 first prize per category
68. Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
    Open until Feb 1, 2027Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards · Fee: $20 · Pays: $2,000 / $1,000 / $500 prizes
69. Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts
    Open until Feb 1, 2027Philip Roth Residencies · Fee: Free · Pays: $5,000 stipend plus lodging
70. Smartish Pace
    Open until Feb 15, 2027Beullah Rose Poetry Prize · Fee: $10 · Pays: $200 winner; top three and finalists published.
71. Smartish Pace
    Open until Feb 15, 2027Erskine J. Poetry Prize · Fee: $10 · Pays: $200 winner; top three and finalists published.
72. Black Caucus of the American Library Association
    Open until Feb 28, 2027Self-Publishing Literary Awards · Fee: Free · Pays: $2,500 prize plus recognition at the ALA conference and award seal
73. Tulsa Review
    Open until Mar 1, 2027Student Contest — Poetry 2027 · Pays: First, second and third place prizes; amounts not stated. Possible Rain Poetry Project consideration.
74. Fish Publishing
    Open until Mar 31, 20272027 Fish Poetry Prize · Fee: Online: €16 first poem, €11 each later poem; post: €19 first, €11 later. Optional critique €45 online or €49 postal. · Pays: €1,000 first prize; second/third: online writing course. Top ten: publication and five anthology copies each.
75. Fish Publishing
    Open until Apr 15, 20272027 Fish Haiku Prize · Fee: €5 per entry; unlimited separately paid entries. · Pays: €300 first prize; second/third online writing courses; top ten published with five anthology copies each.
76. Plough
    Open until Apr 30, 2027Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award · Fee: $7 per poem (free for Plough Quarterly subscribers) · Pays: $2,000 and publication; two finalists receive $250 each and publication.
77. 3 Mile Harbor Press
    Open year-round10th Annual Book Award · Fee: $50 · Pays: $500 prize, perfect-bound publication, and 25 author copies
78. Alternating Current Press
    Open year-roundBook-Length Poetry Manuscripts · Fee: $12.99
79. Codhill Press
    Open year-roundPauline Uchmanowicz Poetry Award · Fee: $30 · Pays: $1,000 prize
80. Dark Poets Club
    Open year-roundGeneral submissions · Fee: £5 (1 poem) · Pays: £500 cash prize (approx. $640 USD) plus certificate, custom t-shirt, and online publication. ```
81. Dogwood
    Open year-roundPoetry — Incarcerated Writers · Fee: Free · Pays: $1,000 prize
82. Free the Verse
    Open year-roundMonthly Poetry Contest · Fee: $3.49 · Pays: $100 prize plus publication
83. Half and One
    Open year-roundEditorial Fellowship · Fee: $35 · Pays: $30.00 Submittable fee.
84. Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation
    Open year-roundNina Riggs Poetry Award · Fee: Free · Pays: At least $1,000 per winner
85. Off Topic Publishing
    Open year-roundOff Topic Monthly Contest (poetry rounds) · Fee: $5 CAD (or 4 EUR) per entry · Pays: Winner receives 50% of the month's entry fees plus online publication
86. Poetries in English Magazine
    Open year-roundAnnual Prize for Best Poem or Prose · Pays: Small honorarium
87. Prairie Heritage, Inc.
    Open year-roundJan Garton Prairie Heritage Book Award · Fee: Free · Pays: $1,000 prize and sponsored book signing
88. The Coil
    Open year-roundCharter Oak Award for Best Historical · Pays: $100 and other prizes
89. The Coil
    Open year-roundDaguerreoTyped (monthly photo prompt) · Pays: $25
90. The Northeast Coast
    Open year-roundPoetry manuscripts (The Northeast Coast Press)
91. Wax Poetry and Art
    Open year-roundArbutus Poetry Contest · Fee: Free · Pays: Online publication; Editor's Choice prize of $10 CAD
92. Moonstone Arts Center
    Opens Nov 15Moonstone Annual Chapbook Contest 2026 · Fee: $20 reader fee · Pays: Chapbook publication
93. Regal House Publishing
    Opens Nov 15Terry J. Cox Poetry Award · Fee: $25 · Pays: $1,000 prize and publication

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