Genre: Poetry

Prose & Poetry Chapbook Contest

Action, Spectacle
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Action, Spectacle, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, prose, or hybrid-genre work. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 20 to 32 pages with a $25 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Stephen Mitchell Translation Prize

Green Linden Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction translated from any language into English. Christopher Nelson will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 30. All finalists will be considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Four Quartets Prize

Poetry Society of America
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
December 15, 2025

A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the current year. Three finalists, including the winner, will receive $1,000 each. Submit four copies of at least 14 pages of poetry or a book-length sequence of poems published in 2025 and unified by subject, form, and style by December 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
March 31, 2026
Three grants of $500 each will be given annually to a poet, fiction writer, and nonfiction writer to “amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth in Georgia.” Grantees will also receive a scholarship to attend and give a reading of their work at the Red Clay Conference in April 2026 on the Marietta campus of Kennesaw State University. LGBTQIA+ writers between the ages of 18 and 24 who have not published more than one book and 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 are eligible. Submit up to 10 pages of poetry or prose and a 500-word statement of purpose by January 15, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

Sillerman First Book Prize For African Poetry

African Poetry Book Fund
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
December 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Nebraska Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection by an African poet. Writers who were born in Africa, are African nationals or residents, or whose parents are African are eligible. The African Poetry Book Fund editorial board will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 50 pages by December 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Wishing Jewel Prize

Green Linden Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Green Linden Press is given annually for an innovative book of poetry “that questions the boundaries of genre, form, or mode while engaging the rich possibilities of lyrical expression.” Christopher Nelson will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $25 entry fee by November 30. All finalists are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

North American Poetry Book Award

Poetry Society of Virginia
Entry Fee: 
$36
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year. The winner is also invited to read at the Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual Spring Poetry Festival, held at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, in April 2026. Self-published books are ineligible. Mattie Quesenberry Smith will judge. Submit three copies of a book no less than 50 pages in length that was published in 2025 with a $36 entry fee ($25 for current PSV members), which includes a one-year membership to the organization, by January 15, 2026. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Amity Literary Prize

Anamcara Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Anamcara Press, and 50 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection, story collection, essay collection, novel, or memoir. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 60 to 120 pages, a fiction manuscript of at least 70,000 words, or a nonfiction manuscript of 80,000 to 100,000 words (plus a summary of 500 to 750 words) with a $25 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetry Award

Lit Fox Books
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 15, 2026

A prize of $1,500, publication by Lit Fox Books, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection. Kristina Marie Darling will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of at least 48 pages by January 15, 2026. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Pushcart Prizes

Pushcart Press
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
December 1, 2025

Publication in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses is awarded annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction published by literary magazines or small presses during the current year. Editors may nominate up to six poems, short stories, novel chapters, or essays published, or scheduled to be published, in 2025; submit one copy of each work by December 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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