Don’t let your writing life become a version of Groundhog Day, the 1993 film in which a disgruntled weatherman—played by Bill Murray—must relive, seemingly ad infinitum, the eponymous holiday. Change things up by submitting your work to a new contest! Nine awards have a deadline of February 15 or February 16, offering prizes that include $3,000 and publication for collections of poetry, fiction, and essays; $1,000 for a poetry collection translated from any language into English; and five prizes of $1,000 to $1,500 for a single poem “composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme, and received forms.” Good luck, writers!
Academy of American Poets
Ambroggio Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arizona Press is given annually for a poetry collection originally written in Spanish by a living writer and translated into English. Norma Elia Cantú will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.
Academy of American Poets
Harold Morton Landon Translation Award
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection translated from any language into English and published in the United States during the previous year. Valzhyna Mort will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.
Arrowsmith Press
Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in English during the previous year by a writer who is not a citizen of the United States. English translations of works originally written in another language are accepted. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $20.
Center for African American Poetry and Poetics/Autumn House Press
Book Prize
A prize of $3,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection (or a work that intersects with poetry, including hybrid text, speculative prose, and translation) by a writer of African descent. Aracelis Girmay will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: None.
Finishing Line Press
Open Chapbook Competition
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Manuscripts written in a language other than English are accepted when accompanied by an English translation. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $20.
Furious Flower Poetry Center
Furious Flower Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Obsidian, the literary journal of Illinois State University, is given annually for a group of poems that explore Black themes. The winner also receives a $500 honorarium to give a reading at James Madison University. Poets who have published no more than one poetry collection are eligible. Roger Reeves will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $15.
Omnidawn Publishing
First/Second Poetry Book Contest
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. Desirée Alvarez will judge. Deadline: February 16. Entry fee: $35.
Sarabande Books
Morton, McCarthy, and Sarabande Prizes
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by Sarabande Books are given annually for collections of poetry and fiction; in 2024, a new prize of $3,000 and publication will also be given for a collection of essays. For the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry, Hanif Abdurraqib will judge. For the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction, Lauren Groff will judge. For the Sarabande Prize in the Essay, Alexander Chee will judge. Deadline: February 15. Entry fee: $29.
West Chester University
Poetry Awards
Five prizes of $1,000 to $1,500 will be given annually for a single poem “composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme, and received forms” (Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award); a single poem written in haiku form (Myong Cha Son Haiku Award); a single poem written in sonnet form (Sonnet Award); a single poem written in villanelle form (Villanelle Award); and a single poem written in Spanish and accompanied by the English translation or translated into Spanish and accompanied by the English original (Rhina P. Espaillat Award). Second-place prizes of $500 will also be awarded for the Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award and the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award. Only undergraduate students who are enrolled in a United States college or university are eligible. Ernest Hilbert will judge. Deadline: February 16. Entry fee: None.
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation.
