Genre: Poetry

Associations of Love

The Time Is Now
2.10.26

“I love snow and briefly. / I love the first minutes in a warm room after stepping out of the cold. / I love my twenties and want them back every day. / I love time. / I love people. / I love people and my time away from them the most.” In his poem “Love,” published in the American Poetry Review, Alex Dimitrov lists dozens of beloved things, each line beginning simply with, “I love.” The items listed often play off of each other and seem to meander associatively, in a stream-of-consciousness manner. Compose a poem that uses a list format to meditate on things you love. You might begin each line with a repeated phrase, or allow the entire poem to encompass one long list. Try experimenting with associative thinking, fluctuations of line length, and playful tones.

Backwaters Prize in Poetry

Backwaters Press
Entry Fee: 
$32
Deadline: 
May 1, 2026
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Backwaters Press, an imprint of University of Nebraska Press, is given annually for a poetry collection. An honorable mention prize of $1,000 and publication by Backwaters Press is also given. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 60 to 85 pages with a $32 entry fee by May 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Prizes in Poetry and Fiction

Orison Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
April 1, 2026
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Leila Chatti will judge in poetry, and Margot Livesey will judge in fiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 50 to 100 pages or a novel, novella, or collection of short stories or flash fiction of at least 30,000 words with a $25 entry fee by April 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Wick Poetry Center
Entry Fee: 
$27
Deadline: 
May 1, 2026
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Kent State University Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. The winner is also invited to teach a weeklong writing workshop at Kent State University and give a reading with the judge. Camille T. Dungy will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 80 pages with a $27 entry fee by May 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
book awards | first book awards

Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 31, 2026
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $4,038) is given annually for a poetry collection or a book of fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in English during the previous year. A runner-up will receive £1,000 (approximately $1,346). Translations of Arabic works of poetry or fiction originally published in or after 1967 are eligible. Publishers may submit five copies of a book in English translation published between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, three copies of the original work, and a digital copy in both languages by March 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Pinch Literary Award in Poetry

Pinch
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
March 31, 2026
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Pinch will be given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems totaling no more than 12 pages with a $28 entry fee by March 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Winning Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
April 1, 2026
A prize of $2,000, a five-year membership to the submissions manager Chill Subs, a gift certificate for a two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous poem. A second-place prize of $500 and a two-year membership to Chill Subs is also awarded. Jendi Reiter and Lauren Singer will judge. Unpublished and previously published works are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 250 lines by April 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Bellingham Review
Entry Fee: 
$15
Deadline: 
March 15, 2026
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Parallel Award for Poetry is given for a poem or group of poems. The Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction is given for a short story or a work of flash fiction. The Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction is given for an essay or a work of flash nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any length, three pieces of flash fiction or nonfiction of up to 1,500 words each, or a story or essay of up to 4,000 words with a $15 entry fee by March 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award

Plough
Entry Fee: 
$7
Deadline: 
April 30, 2026
An award of $2,000 and publication in Plough will be given annually for a single poem that reflects Rhina Espaillat’s “lyricism, attention to form, empathy, and ability to find grace in everyday events of life.” Jane Clark Scharl will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each with a $7 entry fee per poem by April 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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