Genre: Poetry

Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry

African Poetry Book Fund
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a book of poetry by an African poet published in the previous year. Writers who were born in Africa, who are nationals or residents of an African country, or whose parents are African are eligible. Phillippa Yaa de Villiers will judge. Publishers may submit four copies (or unbound proofs) of a poetry collection of at least 48 pages published in 2024 by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize

Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Academy of American Poets website is given annually for a poem that helps readers recognize “the vulnerable state of our environment.” Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of any length by November 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

John Lewis Writing Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also receive a scholarship to attend and present a reading at the Red Clay Writers Conference, held in March 2026 at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia. Black writers who have been residents of Georgia for at least one year (or who are full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award) and who have published no more than one book are eligible to apply. Submit a poetry or prose writing sample of up to 10 pages and an artist’s statement of no more than 500 words discussing your work and goals as a writer by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

Prizes in Books

Pulitzer Prizes
Entry Fee: 
$75
Deadline: 
October 15, 2025
Six prizes of $15,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, general nonfiction, U.S. history, biography, and memoir first published in the United States during the current year. Eligible authors include U.S. citizens and permanent residents or those who have made the United States their longtime primary home. Using only the online submission system, submit a digital copy of a book published in 2025 with a $75 entry fee by October 15. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

James Hearst Poetry Prize

North American Review
Entry Fee: 
$23
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a single poem. Danez Smith will judge. Submit up to five poems of any length with a $23 entry fee, which includes an issue of North American Review, by November 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines. 


Garrett Hongo and Edward Hirsch

Caption: 

In this Poets House event, Garrett Hongo reads from his fourth poetry collection, Ocean of Clouds (Knopf, 2025), and Edward Hirsch reads from his new memoir, My Childhood in Pieces: A Stand-Up Comedy, a Skokie Elegy (Knopf, 2025), followed by a conversation between the authors about their friendship and humor.

Genre: 
Poetry
Creative Nonfiction
Tags: 
Garrett Hongo
Ocean of Clouds
Edward Hirsch
My Childhood in Pieces
memoir
Knopf
Poets House
reading
2025

Details and Images

The Time Is Now
8.5.25

“If the dandelion on the sidewalk is / mere detail, the dandelion inked on a friend’s bicep / is an image because it moves when her body does,” writes Rick Barot in his poem “The Wooden Overcoat,” published in Poetry magazine in 2012. The speaker of the poem draws a distinction between a “detail” and an “image” defining the latter as something connected to a larger context and personal history that is “activated in the reader’s senses beyond mere fact.” Compose a poem that experiments with this distinction, perhaps incorporating both a “detail” and an “image” so that each functions in an intentional way. You could consider beginning with an item and slowly shifting the reader’s understanding of its significance as the poem progresses. Look to Barot’s poem for inspiration on form and use of space.

Ordinary Devotion

The Time Is Now
7.29.25

Many poems are written in the heat of falling in love with someone or something, with descriptions of desire, first touches, and breathless beginnings. But what happens after the crescendo when routine replaces urgency, when glances no longer surprise, and when love becomes less about being seen and more about staying? Write a poem about what it feels like to love someone or something after the rush. You could write about a partner, a city, a craft, or a version of yourself. Focus on the quiet gestures, the dailiness, and the things you no longer say out loud. How does love change when it no longer needs to perform?

Gratitude

The Time Is Now
7.22.25

In their poem “In the chemo room, I wear mittens made of ice so I don’t lose my fingernails. But I took a risk today to write this down.,” published in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series in 2023, Andrea Gibson, who passed away on July 14, wrote about a newfound gratitude for life while being treated for terminal cancer. “Remind me / all my prayers were answered // the moment I started praying / for what I already have,” wrote Gibson. Write a poem that expresses gratitude through confronting the mortal nature of being human. What do you already have in your life that you might be taking for granted? Perhaps begin by listing some of the beautiful things you saw today.

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