Genre: Poetry

Literary Awards

Dogwood
Entry Fee: 
$12
Deadline: 
September 5, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Dogwood are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than 10 pages or up to 22 pages of prose with a $12 entry fee by September 5. Writers who are incarcerated may submit to the contest free of charge via postal mail or the Dogwood website. All submissions are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetry Open Book Contest

Omnidawn Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
August 16, 2025
A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Jose-Luis Moctezuma will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 40 to 120 pages with a $30 entry fee from July 1 to August 16. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Book Contest

Dynamo Verlag
Entry Fee: 
$18
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Dynamo Verlag will be given biennially for a book-length work of poetry, prose, or hybrid work. The editors will judge. E-mail a manuscript of 7,000 to 100,000 words (poetry manuscripts must be at least 80 pages in length) with an $18 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Oxford Poetry Prize

Oxford Poetry
Entry Fee: 
$13
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,329) and publication in Oxford Poetry is given annually for a single poem. Submit a poem of up to 50 lines with a £10 (approximately $13) entry fee by August 31. A limited number of fee waivers are available based on financial need. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program

The Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program offers a six-month residency from January to June to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer at the historic Concord Free Public Library (CFPL) in Concord, Massachusetts. The writer-in-residence is given a $10,000 stipend with the expectation that they will spend an average of eight hours a week at the library for the duration of the program and will develop public programming and social opportunities for the CFPL community.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
January 1, 2026
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
November 26, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
November 26, 2025
Free Admission: 
yes
Contact Information: 

Concord Free Public Library Writer-in-Residence Program, 129 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742. (978) 318-3383. Ricky Sirois, Assistant Library Director.

Ricky Sirois
Assistant Library Director
Contact City: 
Concord
Contact State: 
MA
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
01742
Country: 
US

Most Wanted and Unwanted

6.17.25

To write their latest book, People’s Choice Literature: The Most Wanted and Unwanted Novels (Columbia University Press, 2025), Tom Comitta used data compiled from a specially designed national public opinion poll on literary preference and composed two novels: a formulaic, fast-paced thriller and an experimental epistolary sci-fi romance with elderly aristocratic tennis players as protagonists. Responses to the poll included preferences and aversions to attributes such as characters’ identities, genre, verb tense, setting, and point of view. Taking a cue from this project, jot down a brief list of what you would guess to be the most and least desired attributes of poetry, including rhyme, length, diction, and imagery. Write a “Most Wanted Poem” and “Most Unwanted Poem” based on your list. How do your own idiosyncrasies and thoughts around literary taste infiltrate each piece?

Pages

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