The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises
Write a poem that uses the language of flowers to share a secret, a scene where a young person expresses their thoughts about a parental figure, or an essay based on the logic of your own dreams.
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Genre: Poetry
Prizes in Poetry and Prose
Bellevue Literary Review
Entry Fee:
$20
Deadline:
July 1, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellevue Literary Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay about health, healing, illness, the body, or the mind. Patricia Spears Jones will judge in poetry, Joan Silber will judge in fiction, and Nicole Chung will judge in creative nonfiction. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages or up to 5,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee by July 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Literary Awards
New Letters
Entry Fee:
$24
Deadline:
May 19, 2025
Three prizes of $2,500 each and publication in New Letters are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems totaling no more than 30 pages or a story or essay of up to 8,000 words with a $24 entry fee, which includes a subscription to New Letters, by May 19. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
An introduction to three new anthologies, including What My Father and I Don’t Talk About: Sixteen Writers Break the Silence and Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection.
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Blessing the Boats Selections
BOA Editions
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
July 14, 2025
A prize of $2,500 and publication by BOA Editions will be given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who is a woman of color and lives in the United States, “including poets who identify as cis, trans, and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers on women’s experiences, regardless of citizenship.” Submit a manuscript of 65 to 120 pages and a cover letter by July 14. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Award
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Entry Fee:
$15
Deadline:
July 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation website is given annually for a single poem that explores “positive visions of peace and the human spirit.” Submit up to three poems of no more than 30 lines each with a $15 entry fee by July 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Literary MagNet: Steven Espada Dawson
The author of Late to the Search Party highlights magazines that have offered his lithe, intimate poems a home, including Waxwing and Split Lip Magazine.
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Poetry Contest for Emerging Poets
Boulevard
Entry Fee:
$18
Deadline:
June 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who has not published a poetry collection with a nationally distributed press. The editors will judge. Submit three poems of any length with an $18 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Boulevard, by June 1. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Chapbook Contest
Omnidawn Publishing
Entry Fee:
$30
Deadline:
June 16, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Ewa Chrusciel will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 25 to 45 pages with a $30 entry fee by June 16. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Small Press Points: Conduit Books & Ephemera
Publishing two poetry books a year, Conduit Books shares the quirky aesthetic of its journal counterpart, Conduit. The press seeks work that is innovative, honest, and sincere, bringing people to poetry and rumination.
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