Genre: Poetry

Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize

Two Sylvias Press
Entry Fee: 
$24
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over 50 who identifies as female or femme (including those who are assigned-female-at-birth [AFAB] nonbinary, transgender, or genderqueer). The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $24 entry fee by December 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Book Contest

Burnside Review Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Burnside Review Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Rick Barot will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 100 pages with a $25 entry fee, which includes one title from the press’s catalogue, by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jack Hazard Fellowships

New Literary Project
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 9, 2026
Up to ten fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to creative writers who are high school teachers to support summer work on an ongoing fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, or poetry project. Full-time instructors at accredited U.S. high schools teaching in the 2025–2026 academic year who are contracted to return to their schools in fall 2026 and who have been teaching for at least three years are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 5,000 words of poetry or prose, a brief bio, a curriculum vitae, a project description, and contact information for the head of school by January 9, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Georgia Poetry Prize

University of Georgia Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to read from their book at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia. Victoria Chang will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a collection of 50 to 100 pages with a $30 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Pauline Uchmanowicz Poetry Award

Codhill Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
December 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. James Sherwood will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70 pages with a $30 entry fee by December 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

New Millennium Writing Awards

New Millennium Writings
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

Four prizes of $1,000 each are given biannually for a single poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. The winners also receive publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website. Works that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000 or were published only online, as well as previously unpublished works, are eligible. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages, a short short story of up to 1,000 words, or a story or essay of up to 7,499 words with a $20 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Rilke Prize

University of North Texas
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the current year by a midcareer poet. The winner will also give a reading and book signing at the University of North Texas in fall 2026. U.S. poets who have previously published at least two poetry collections are eligible. The University of North Texas poetry faculty will judge. Authors, editors, or publishers may submit three copies of a book published between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025, by November 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Colorado Prize for Poetry

Colorado Review
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
January 14, 2026

A prize of $2,500 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing is given annually for a poetry collection. Victoria Chang will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $25 entry fee ($28 for online submissions), which includes a subscription to Colorado Review, by January 14, 2026. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetry Prize

Nightboat Books
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025

Up to four prizes of $1,200 each, publication by Nightboat Books, and 25 author copies are given annually for poetry collections. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $28 entry fee by November 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

Waywiser Books
Entry Fee: 
$29
Deadline: 
December 1, 2025

A prize of $3,000 and publication by Waywiser Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous collection. The winner will also give a reading with the contest judge at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. A. E. Stallings will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 88 pages with a $29 entry fee by December 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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