Genre: Poetry

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize

Utica University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 31, 2025
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a master class at Utica University in spring 2026. Publishers or authors may submit two copies of a book of at least 48 pages published between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, and a curriculum vitae by August 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Individual Artist Fellowships

Delaware Division of the Arts
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 1, 2025
Established Professional Fellowships of $8,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year and will remain Delaware residents during the grant period. Using only the online submission system, submit 15 to 20 pages of poetry or prose, a résumé, and an artist’s statement by August 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 
creative nonfiction | fiction | poetry | grants

Poetry Contest

Narrative
Entry Fee: 
$26
Deadline: 
July 18, 2025
A prize of $1,500 is given annually for a poem or group of poems. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length with a $26 entry fee by July 18. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Book Awards

Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
July 15, 2025
Three prizes of $1,500 each, publication by Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and 25 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection or novel, and a poetry collection in translation. Writers who live in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 70 to 100 pages of poetry or 150 to 250 pages of prose with a $28 entry fee by July 15. Following these guidelines, translators may submit a poetry manuscript in English along with the matching selection in the original language. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Chapbook Contest

DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander Monson will judge. Submit a manuscript of 18 to 44 pages with a $25 entry fee by July 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Narrative Poetry Contest

Naugatuck River Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
September 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Naugatuck River Review will be given annually for a narrative poem. Octavio Quintanilla will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each with a $20 entry fee by September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Housatonic Book Awards

Western Connecticut State University
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 18, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in the previous year. The winners also receive $500 in travel expenses and a hotel stay to give a reading and teach a master class at Western Connecticut State University’s low-residency MFA program. Using only the online submission system, submit a PDF of a book published in 2024 with a $25 entry fee by July 18. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Most Wanted and Unwanted

The Time Is Now
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?

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