Genre: Poetry

Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize

Two Sylvias Press
Entry Fee: 
$24
Deadline: 
December 31, 2025

A prize of $1,000, publication by Two Sylvias Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over 50 who identifies as female or femme (including those who are assigned-female-at-birth [AFAB] nonbinary, transgender, or genderqueer). The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $24 entry fee by December 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Firecracker Awards

Community of Literary Magazines & Presses
Entry Fee: 
$65
Deadline: 
November 14, 2025

Three prizes of $2,000 each are given annually for a book of poetry, a book of fiction, and a book of creative nonfiction published by an independent press in the current year ($1,000 for each author and $1,000 for their respective publisher). Works in translation and graphic novels are accepted. Using only the online submission system, publishers may submit books of poetry or prose published in 2025 with a $65 entry fee ($55 for CLMP members) for the first book and a $45 fee ($35 for CLMP members) for each additional entry by November 14. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

New Millennium Writing Awards

New Millennium Writings
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

Four prizes of $1,000 each are given biannually for a single poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay. The winners also receive publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website. Works that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000 or were published only online, as well as previously unpublished works, are eligible. Submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages, a short short story of up to 1,000 words, or a story or essay of up to 7,499 words with a $20 entry fee by November 30. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Georgia Poetry Prize

University of Georgia Press
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
November 30, 2025

A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner is also invited to read from their book at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia. Victoria Chang will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a collection of 50 to 100 pages with a $30 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Joy Harjo Poetry Prize

Cutthroat
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025

A prize of $1,500 and publication in Cutthroat will be given annually for a single poem. Annie Wenstrup will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 100 lines each with a $25 entry fee by November 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Poetry Prize

Nightboat Books
Entry Fee: 
$28
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025

Up to four prizes of $1,200 each, publication by Nightboat Books, and 25 author copies are given annually for poetry collections. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages with a $28 entry fee by November 15. 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.

Tags: 
book awards

Writing Fellowships

Fine Arts Work Center
Entry Fee: 
$40
Deadline: 
November 15, 2025

Fellowships for a seven-month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Prov­ince­town, Massachusetts, are given annually to four poets and four fiction writers who have not published a full-length book in any genre. Each fellowship includes a private apartment, a monthly stipend of $1,250, and an exit stipend of $1,000. To apply for fellowships beginning in October 2026, submit up to 15 pages of poetry or 35 pages of fiction (include a synopsis if submitting a novel) and a curriculum vitae with a $40 entry fee before noon (EST) on November 15; submissions are also accepted from noon on November 15 to before noon on December 1 with a $55 entry fee, and from noon on December 1 to midnight on December 15 with a $65 entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and 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.

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.

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