Genre: Poetry

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.

Poetry Prize

White Pine Press
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by White Pine Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 60 to 80 pages with a $20 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetic Fruit

The Time Is Now
9.30.25

“Forget about apples and oranges—nothing rhymes with orange anyway. Never mind those plums that William Carlos Williams sneaked from the icebox. The most poetic fruit of all is the blackberry,” writes A. O. Scott, critic at large for the New York Times Book Review, citing blackberry-inclusive works by poets such as Margaret Atwood, Emily Dickinson, Robert Hass, Seamus Heaney, Galway Kinnell, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Sylvia Plath. Compose a poem inspired by what you consider the most poetic fruit, describing the textures and tastes of your selection, and its associations in the world and in other works of art. Spend some time thinking about the name of the fruit itself, its sounds and component parts and etymological roots. Does conjuring words and phrases that recall the qualities of the fruit take your poem in a surprising or unexpected direction?

Kimberly Alidio, Courtney Bush, Natalie Shapero, and Emily Skillings

Caption: 

In this Poets House event, four poets read from their new books: Kimberly Alidio, author of Traceable Relation (Fonograf Editions, 2025); Courtney Bush, author of A Movie (Lavender Ink, 2025); Natalie Shapero, author of Stay Dead (Copper Canyon Press, 2025); and Emily Skillings, author of Tantrums in Air (The Song Cave, 2025).

Genre: 
Poetry
Tags: 
Kimberly Alidio
Courtney Bush
Natalie Shapero
Emily Skillings
Poets House
reading
2025

World Poetry Salon: Colm Tóibín With Martin Hayes and Leonard Schwartz

Caption: 

In this World Poetry Salon event hosted by the New York Public Library and Limelight Poetry, Colm Tóibín reads from his collection Vinegar Hill (Beacon Press, 2022) while accompanied by musician Martin Hayes and joins Leonard Schwartz in a conversation about Ireland’s history and sense of place.

Genre: 
Poetry
Tags: 
Colm Toibin
World Poetry Salon
New York Public Library
Limelight Poetry
Vinegar Hill
Martin Hayes
Leonard Schwartz
music

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