Genre: Poetry

James Dickey Prize for Poetry

Five Points
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
December 1, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Five Points is given annually for a group of poems. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each with a $25 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Five Points, by December 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Nina Riggs Poetry Award

Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem that examines relationships, family, or domestic life and was published in a book or magazine in the last three years. Nominate up to 30 poems published in a book or magazine in 2023, 2024, or 2025 by November 30. No more than six nominated poems written by the same author or published in the same book or magazine. Self-nominations are not accepted. There is no entry fee. 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.

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.

Poetry Open

Gemini Magazine
Entry Fee: 
$10
Deadline: 
January 2, 2026

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a single poem. The editors will judge. Submit up to three poems of any length with a $10 entry fee by January 2, 2026. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Hollis Summers Poetry Prize

Ohio University Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Michael Prior will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 60 to 95 pages with a $30 entry fee by December 31. 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.

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.

LGBTQIA+ Literary Success Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
January 15, 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 March 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.

Plentitudes Prizes In Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Flash

Plentitudes
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in the Plentitudes is given annually for a single poem, a short story, an essay, and a work of flash fiction or nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 65 lines each, a story or essay of 1,000 to 5,000 words, or a work of flash fiction or nonfiction of up to 1,000 words with a $20 entry fee by December 31. All entries will be considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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