Genre: Poetry

First Book Award

Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee: 
$35
Deadline: 
September 1, 2025
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer who has not published a book of poetry in a standard edition. The winning book will be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. The winner also receives an all-expenses-paid, six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center, a 15th-century castle in Umbria, Italy. Brenda Hillman will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $35 entry fee (fee waivers may be requested via e-mail) from July 1 to September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Radcliffe Institute Fellowships

Harvard University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 11, 2025
Fellowships of $78,000 each, as well as office space at the Radcliffe Institute and access to the libraries at Harvard University, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue innovative projects. Fellows, who are expected to reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the surrounding Boston area during the fellowship period, September through May, also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Poets who have published a full-length collection or at least 20 poems in magazines or anthologies in the last five years and who are in the process of completing a manuscript are eligible. Fiction and nonfiction writers who have published one or more books, have a book-length manuscript under contract for publication, or have published at least three shorter works are eligible. Writers who are graduate students or enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application are not eligible. For 2026–2027 fellowships, submit up to 10 poems of any length or a short story, a recent book chapter, or an essay totaling no more than 30 pages; a curriculum vitae; a project proposal; and contact information for three references by September 11. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Cantor Prize

Talking Gourds
Entry Fee: 
$12
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem about the state of Colorado or written by a poet residing in Colorado. José A. “Tony” Alcántara will judge. Submit a poem of up to 125 lines totaling no more than three pages with a $12 entry fee ($30 for three poems) by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Creative Writing Award

Aesthetica
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,324) each and publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the winner in poetry receives a membership to the Poetry Society in London, a course from the arts organization Poetry School, and two online master classes from the London-based creative writing nonprofit Arvon. The winner in short fiction receives a five-day online course from Arvon and a consultation with the literary agency Redhammer Management. Both winners receive subscriptions to Granta, London Magazine, and Mslexia; membership to Litopia, an online writers’ community; and a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 40 lines with a £12 (approximately $16) entry fee or a short story of up to 2,000 words with an £18 (approximately $24) entry fee by August 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Book Prize

Howling Bird Press
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2026 prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 17,500 to 40,000 words with a $20 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fischer Prize

Talking Gourds
Entry Fee: 
$12
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Art Goodtimes will judge. Submit a poem of up to 125 lines totaling no more than three pages with a $12 entry fee ($30 for three poems) by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Translation Awards

American-Scandinavian Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 15, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication of an excerpt in Scandinavian Review is given annually for an English translation of a work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction written in a Nordic language (Danish, Faroese, Finnish, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Norwegian, Sami, or Swedish). A prize of $2,000 and publication is also awarded annually to a translator whose literary translations from a Nordic language have not previously been published. An additional prize of $2,000 and publication is awarded for a translation from the Danish. Translations of works by 20th- and 21st-century Nordic authors that have not been published in English are eligible for all three prizes. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 25 pages of poetry in translation or 25 to 50 pages of prose in translation, a copy of the original work, a biographical statement about the author whose writing is being translated and the significance of their work, a document signed by or on behalf of the author granting permission for the translation to be entered into the competition, and a curriculum vitae by September 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

1/2 K Prize

Indiana Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
August 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or creative nonfiction. Submit up to three poems, stories, or essays of up to 500 words each with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by August 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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