If you’re a poet looking for publication or time to develop a project, you have just over two weeks to prepare work for a variety of contests with a deadline of October 15. A scholarship offers U.S. poets $66,500 “for a year of travel and study outside of North America” and has no entry fee. Three prizes of $1,000 and publication are being offered for poetry collections. And for those who don’t have a full-length collection ready, a prize of $1,000 is also being awarded for a group of poems. Now it’s a matter of picking which opportunity is right for you!
Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship
An award of approximately $66,500 is given annually to a U.S. poet for a year of travel and study outside of North America. Entry fee: None.
Fordham University at Lincoln Center
Poetic Justice Institute Prizes
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication by Fordham University Press are given annually for poetry collections. The winners also receive a publicity consultation and a virtual or in-person book launch at Fordham–Lincoln Center in New York City. All writers are eligible for the Poetic Justice Institute Prize; the Poetic Justice Institute Editor’s Prize is given to a poetry collection by a BIPOC writer. Eligible writers may enter both contests. Srikanth Reddy will judge the Poetic Justice Institute Prize and Elisabeth Frost will judge the Poetic Justice Institute Editor’s Prize. Entry fee: $28.
Silverfish Review Press
Gerald Cable Book Award
A prize of $1,000, publication by Silverfish Review Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a first poetry collection. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $25.
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Poetry Contest
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a group of poems. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival in March 2024. Writers who have not published a poetry collection are eligible. Entry fee: $15.
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.