Genre: Poetry

Nature Writing Prize

The Moth
Entry Fee: 
$17
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,158) and online publication in Irish Times is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that features “an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.” The winner also receives a weeklong stay at the Moth Retreat in County Cavan, Ireland. Mark Cocker will judge. Submit a poem or a work of prose of up to 4,000 words with an entry fee of €15 (approximately $17) by September 30. Visit the website for the required entry form for submissions by post and complete guidelines.

Vern Rutsala Book Prize

Cloudbank Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
October 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Cloudbank Books, and 50 author copies is given annually for a collection of poetry, flash fiction, or a combination of the two. Submit a manuscript of 60 to 90 pages with a $25 entry fee by October 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Open Season Awards

Malahat Review
Entry Fee: 
$22
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
Three prizes of $2,000 Canadian (approximately $1,455) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of no more than 100 lines each or a short story or essay of up to 2,500 words with a $30 Canadian (approximately $22) entry fee by the early-bird deadline of September 30 or a $45 Canadian (approximately $33) entry fee by November 1. All entry fees include a subscription to Malahat Review. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

Tucson Festival of Books
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
October 31, 2025
Three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The winners will also receive scholarships to attend a workshop at the University of Arizona campus in Tucson in March 2026. Using only the online submission system, submit five poems of any length or a short story, essay, or excerpt from a novel or memoir of up to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee by October 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Jessie Bryce Niles Chapbook Contest

Comstock Review
Entry Fee: 
$30
Deadline: 
October 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Comstock Review, and 50 author copies will be given biennially for a poetry chapbook. Georgia A. Popoff will judge. Submit a manuscript of 25 to 34 pages with a $30 entry fee, which includes a copy of the winning chapbook, by October 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Barbara Stevens Poetry Book Manuscript Competition

National Federation of State Poetry Societies
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
October 15, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by National Federation of State Poetry Societies Press, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives an invitation to read at the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) convention with a travel stipend of $300. Chris Abani will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 80 pages with a $25 entry fee ($20 for NFSPS members) by October 15. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Humor Story Contest

TulipTree Publishing
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
October 17, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Fall/Winter issue of TulipTree Review is given annually for a humorous poem, story, or essay. Submit a poem of up to five pages or a work of prose of no more than 10,000 words with a $20 entry fee by October 17. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Garrett Hongo and Edward Hirsch

Caption: 

In this Poets House event, Garrett Hongo reads from his fourth poetry collection, Ocean of Clouds (Knopf, 2025), and Edward Hirsch reads from his new memoir, My Childhood in Pieces: A Stand-Up Comedy, a Skokie Elegy (Knopf, 2025), followed by a conversation between the authors about their friendship and humor.

Genre: 
Poetry
Creative Nonfiction
Tags: 
Garrett Hongo
Ocean of Clouds
Edward Hirsch
My Childhood in Pieces
memoir
Knopf
Poets House
reading
2025

Details and Images

The Time Is Now
8.5.25

“If the dandelion on the sidewalk is / mere detail, the dandelion inked on a friend’s bicep / is an image because it moves when her body does,” writes Rick Barot in his poem “The Wooden Overcoat,” published in Poetry magazine in 2012. The speaker of the poem draws a distinction between a “detail” and an “image” defining the latter as something connected to a larger context and personal history that is “activated in the reader’s senses beyond mere fact.” Compose a poem that experiments with this distinction, perhaps incorporating both a “detail” and an “image” so that each functions in an intentional way. You could consider beginning with an item and slowly shifting the reader’s understanding of its significance as the poem progresses. Look to Barot’s poem for inspiration on form and use of space.

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