Genre: Poetry

Poetry Contest

Grayson Books
Entry Fee: 
$26
Deadline: 
August 15, 2026

A prize of $1,000, publication by Grayson Books, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Bruce Cohen will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 90 pages with a $26 entry fee by August 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize

Utica University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
August 31, 2026
A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the previous 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 2027. Publishers or authors may submit two copies of a book of at least 48 pages published between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, and a curriculum vitae by August 31. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Tenth Gate Prize

The Word Works
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
July 15, 2026
A prize of $1,000, publication by the Word Works, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published at least two full-length books of poetry. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry fee by July 15. A limited number of fee waivers are available based on financial need. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Off the Grid Poetry Prize

Grid Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
August 31, 2026
A prize of $1,000 and publication in print and audiobook formats by Grid Books is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer over the age of 60. Elise Paschen will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 50 pages with a $25 entry fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Winchester Poetry Prize

Winchester Poetry Festival
Entry Fee: 
$9
Deadline: 
July 31, 2026
A prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,351) and publication in the annual Winchester Poetry Prize anthology will be given annually for a poem. The winner is invited to give a reading at the Winchester Poetry Festival in October. Julia Copus will judge. Submit a poem of up to 40 lines with a £7 (approximately $9) entry fee by July 31. A limited number of fee waivers are available upon request. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Ambroggio Prize

Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 15, 2026
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Arizona Press is given annually for a poetry collection originally written in Spanish by a living writer and translated into English. Roque Raquel Salas Rivera will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages in the original Spanish along with the English translation by September 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Radcliffe Institute Fellowships

Harvard University
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 10, 2026
Fellowships of $78,000 each, as well as office space at the Radcliffe Institute and access to the libraries at Harvard University, are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to allow them to pursue innovative projects. Fellows, who are expected to reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or the surrounding Boston area during the fellowship period, September through May, also receive $5,000 to cover project expenses. Poets who have published a full-length collection or at least 20 poems in magazines or anthologies in the last five years and who are in the process of completing a manuscript are eligible. Fiction and nonfiction writers who have published one or more books, have a book-length manuscript under contract for publication, or have published at least three shorter works are eligible. Writers who are graduate students or enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application are not eligible. For 2027–2028 fellowships, submit up to 10 poems of any length or a short story, a recent book chapter, or an essay totaling no more than 30 pages; a curriculum vitae; a project proposal; and contact information for three references by September 10 at 5 PM EDT. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

First Book Award

Academy of American Poets
Entry Fee: 
$35
Deadline: 
September 1, 2026
A prize of $5,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer who has not published a book of poetry in a standard edition. The winning book will be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $35 entry fee (fee waivers may be requested via e-mail) from July 1 to September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Oregon Book Awards

Literary Arts
Entry Fee: 
$55
Deadline: 
September 4, 2026
Four prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and general nonfiction published in the current year by writers living in Oregon. Publishers, authors, and members of the public may submit three copies of a book published between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026, with a $55 entry fee by September 4. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.

Creative Writing Award

Aesthetica
Entry Fee: 
$16
Deadline: 
August 31, 2026
Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,383) each and publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing anthology are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the winner in poetry receives a membership to the Poetry Society in London, a course from the arts organization Poetry School, and two online master classes from the creative writing nonprofit Arvon. The winner in short fiction receives a five-day online course from Arvon and a consultation with the literary agency Redhammer Management. Both winners receive subscriptions to Granta, London Magazine, and Mslexia; a membership to Litopia, an online writers community; and a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 40 lines with a £12 (approximately $16) entry fee or a short story of up to 2,000 words with an £18 (approximately $24) entry fee by August 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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