Genre: Poetry

Five prizes of $1,000 each and publication by University of Massachusetts Press are given annually for a debut poetry collection, a poetry collection by an author who has previously published a book, a short story collection, a novel, and a book of creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 60 to 95 pages, a story collection or novel of 55,000 to 75,000 words, or a memoir, book of narrative nonfiction, biography, or essay collection of 50,000 to 70,000 words with a $30 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Fifteen fellowships are given annually to artists, academics, and creative writers, including poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators, whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the New York Public Library. The fellows each receive $90,000, an office at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library’s main branch in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, and full access to the library’s collections from September 2026 through May 2027. Fellows are required to work on their projects at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship. Writers currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program are ineligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 4,500 words, a project proposal of no more than 1,500 words, a curriculum vitae, and three reference letters by September 26. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review and on the Connecticut Poetry Society website is given annually for a single poem. Brendan Walsh will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 80 lines each with a $15 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Two prizes of $3,500 each, two-year gift certificates for membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually for a poem in any style and a poem that either rhymes or is written in a traditional style. Briana Grogan, Michal ‘MJ’ Jones, and Dare Williams will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit any number of poems of up to 250 lines each with a $25 entry fee for each submission of up to three poems by October 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.