Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

Best Poetry Writing Contests in 2025

Showing 162 contests that match your search.

The Bedford Competition

The Bedford Competition

Genres: Poetry and Short Story

The Bedford Competition runs annual international short story and poetry competitions open to anyone over 17 years. Winning entries are published in an anthology.

Top Prize:

£2000

Additional prizes:

2nd Prize £300 | 3rd Prize £200 | Cygnature Prizes £200 | Bedford Prizes £100

💰 Entry fee: $11

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025

Genres: Poetry

The Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest is an annual event that celebrates original poetry. It has been held since 1997 in memory of poet Muriel Craft Bailey. The contest is open for submissions from April 1 to July 15 each year, with guidelines updated periodically.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication by The Comstock Review

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)

Iridescence Award

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Science Fiction

The Iridescence Award is a writing contest for BIPOC authors. It focuses on themes like the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or paranormal, encouraging submissions in short stories and poetry. Winners will have their work published in the Iridescence anthology, and cash awards are available. Entries must be original and unpublished, and they should align with the contest guidelines.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication in the Iridescence anthology | 2nd place: $250 | 3rd place: $100

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2025 (Expired)

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio.

Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry

Beloit Poetry Journal

Genres: Poetry

The Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry is an annual contest with a focus on recognizing outstanding poetry. It is supported by the Adrienne Rich Literary Trust and has specific guidelines for submissions, including entry fees and poem requirements.

Top Prize:

$1,500

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2026

TWFest Poetry Contest

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

Genres: Poetry

The TWFest Poetry Contest encourages emerging writers to submit their original poems. The contest aims to support new literary works and provides a platform for diverse voices in poetry.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

VIP All-Access Pass ($600 value) for the next Festival, public reading at the Festival, publication in French Quarter Journal, photo and bio on website for one year, interview in newsletter and social media. LitPass ($100 value) for top finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition invites submissions from poets on any subject and in any format, up to 60 lines long. The winner receives the title and a cash prize, with additional prizes for runners-up.

Top Prize:

£300 + Title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year

Additional prizes:

Second Place: £150 Second Place: £75

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Indiana Review Poetry Prize is part of an annual contest that awards a prize for excellent poetry submissions. The contest is open to submissions of poetry, and winners receive publication along with a monetary honorarium.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in Indiana Review

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: February 27, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition is an annual prize open to original, unpublished poems in English of up to 40 lines. It celebrates poetry and offers substantial prizes while encouraging international participation.

Top Prize:

$2,000

Additional prizes:

2nd Place: €500 3rd Place: €250 10 runners up: €50 Featured reading at the Cork International Poetry Festival with hotel stay, publication in Southword, and featured on the Southword Poetry Podcast.

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025

The Free Verse Prize

Poetry Society

Genres: Poetry

The Free Verse Prize is a new poetry prize, which supports the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair. The judge is poet and former Poetry Book Fair director, Chrissy Williams. Poems can be on any theme, and should have fewer than 40 lines.

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Publication in Poetry News and the Poetry Book Fair programme

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: March 07, 2025 (Expired)

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award

Academy of American Poets

Genres: Poetry

The Harold Morton Landon Translation Award is an annual award recognizing the work of a translator for a poetry collection translated from any language into English, published in the previous calendar year. Established in 1976, the award amount is $1,000.

Top Prize:

$1,000

📅 Deadline: February 15, 2025 (Expired)

Leave Your Mark: Teen Contest

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Script Writing, Fiction, and Poetry

Participants are invited to write about a scar, real or fictional, in any format (story, song, script, poem) with a limit of 250 words. The contest encourages creativity and personal expression.

Top Prize:

$400 Gotham credit, a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop, and publication on the Gotham Writers website.

Additional prizes:

Two runner ups wll receive a free Gotham class of their choice and publication.

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2025

The Plough Prize

The Plough Arts Centre

Genres: Poetry

The Plough Prize is an international poetry competition open for poems in English, limited to 40 lines on any subject. The contest emphasizes anonymity in judging, with a focus on quality.

Top Prize:

£1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd place: £500 3rd place: £250 Highly Commended poems may be recognized.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

These fellowships are $50,000 awards aimed at honoring poets of literary merit who serve in civic positions. The goal is to support them in creating new work and undertaking impactful projects that enrich local communities through poetry.

Top Prize:

$50,000

Additional prizes:

Awards are $50,000 for the fellowship. The Academy will match up to $10,000 in in-kind or cash contributions for project support.

📅 Deadline: February 24, 2025 (Expired)

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Lynx House Press

Genres: Poetry

The Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, along with foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens abroad. The prize includes $2000 and publication.

Top Prize:

$2,000

Additional prizes:

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: June 16, 2024 (Expired)

C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry

Arkansas International

Genres: Poetry

The C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry honors innovative poetry and is open to poets who have not published a full-length book. The winner receives $1000 and publication in the Arkansas International.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in the Arkansas International

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025

Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The Goldilocks Zone contest invites submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and graphic novels, seeking works that combine craft with audience appeal. The prize includes cash and publication for winners and runners-up.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2025 (Expired)

Jade Ring Writing Contest

Wisconsin Writers Association

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Jade Ring Contest is a prestigious annual competition celebrating exceptional writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now in its 76th year, this contest offers writers a chance to shine, with cash prizes, publication opportunities in Creative Wisconsin Magazine, and a coveted residency at Write On, Door County for first-place winners.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

1st: $250, a Jade Ring, a writing residency, and publication. | 2nd: $200 + publication. | $150 + publication. | Honorable Mentions: one year membership (or gift card for lifetime members) to WWA, publication. Prizes apply to each category.

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Writer's Games

The Writer's Workout

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.

Top Prize:

Publication in anthology, 72 Hours (26+ spaces)

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry

The Hayden's Ferry Review Fiction & Poetry Contest accepts submissions of poetry and fiction. Winners receive cash prizes and publication. The judges for 2025 are Gwen Kirby for fiction and Hieu Minh Nguyen for poetry.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Winner also receives publication in Hayden's Ferry Review. Runner-up receives $250 and publication.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal seeking engaging and original submissions across multiple genres. The contest includes various categories with specific guidelines to encourage diverse forms of writing.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award

Poets & Writers, Inc.

Genres: Fiction and Poetry

Established in 1984, this award connects emerging writers with the New York City literary community, facilitating professional advancement through a network of agents, editors, and authors. The winners receive an honorarium, a public reading, and participation in a residency program.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Residency at the Jentel Artist Residency Program in Wyoming.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual award recognizing excellence in poetry translation, encouraging participants to translate poems from any language into English. It is open to various age groups including adults and students in the UK and Ireland. The contest aims to celebrate linguistic diversity and foster creative translation.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Second: £500 Third: £250 Various cash prizes for youth categories.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2025 (Expired)

Willow Run Poetry Book Award

Hidden River Press

Genres: Poetry

The Willow Run Poetry Book Award is an annual contest open to poets worldwide. The winner receives a monetary prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press. Entries should be unpublished collections of poetry, between 75 and 100 pages.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Publication in Hidden River Press

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

Autumn House Poetry Contest

Autumn House Press

Genres: Poetry

The Autumn House Poetry Contest accepts manuscripts of 50-80 pages. The winner receives publication of their manuscript, a $2,500 prize, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant.

Top Prize:

$2,500

Additional prizes:

Publication of full-length manuscript + a $1,500 travel/publicity grant

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

The contest is part of the annual Word on the Lake Writers Festival, encouraging submissions in short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Entries must be unpublished and original, with a maximum of 2,000 words for fiction/nonfiction and three one-page poems. Winners are published in the anthology.

Top Prize:

$200 CAD

Additional prizes:

2025 festival registration package + certificate for online writing course

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)

Open Prize

National Poetry Series

Genres: Poetry

The NPS Open Competition invites submissions of book-length poetry manuscripts from U.S. residents and American citizens abroad. Winners receive cash prizes and publication.

Top Prize:

$10,000

Additional prizes:

Publication of a full-length manuscript by a participating publisher.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: March 21, 2025 (Expired)

The Heartland Review Open Calls

The Heartland Review

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-fiction

The Heartland Review invites submissions for fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry during open calls. Works accepted are published in the spring issue of the journal. The contest emphasizes original, unpublished works, and submissions must adhere to specific formatting guidelines.

Additional prizes:

1 contributor copy for published authors; gift cards for poetry prize winners ($400 for first, $240 for second, $100 for third)

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition invites submissions of short stories and poems on the theme of 'The River' to commemorate RC Sherriff. Open internationally, the competition includes age categories with specific word counts.

Top Prize:

£250

Additional prizes:

Cash prizes for adults + book tokens for children's categories

📅 Deadline: February 21, 2025 (Expired)

Geminga Contest 2025

Sunspot Lit

Genres: Non-fiction and Poetry

The Geminga Contest 2025 invites submissions of tiny fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and art. Submissions should honor the power of brevity, with specific word limits for each category. Accepted works will be published in upcoming editions of Sunspot Lit.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication for the winner, with publication also offered to runners-up and finalists.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Expired)

Best Indie Book Award

Best Indie Book Award

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) is an international literary contest that recognizes outstanding achievements by independently published authors. Entries are limited to indie published books, including those from small presses and self-published authors, judged on various writing skills.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

A physical trophy or plaque

💰 Entry fee: $65

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

An annual poetry contest for a single poem, awarded by The Georgia Review, with a prize of $1,500. Submissions are accepted from February 15 to May 15, with winners announced by August 15. The winning poem will be published in the Winter issue of The Georgia Review.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Publication in The Georgia Review

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition invites entries of poems on any subject and in any format, with a maximum length of 60 lines. Judging is anonymous, and an entry fee of £5 per poem is required.

Top Prize:

£300

Additional prizes:

1st: £300 + title of Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year | 2nd: £150 | 3rd: £75

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2025 (Expired)

Oxford Poetry Prize

Partus Press Ltd

Genres: Poetry

The Oxford Poetry Prize is an annual competition for a single poem in English. The guest judge this year is Rebecca Tamás.

Top Prize:

£1000

Additional prizes:

Second: £200 Third: £100 Publication offered to all winning poets.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the largest prizes for individual unpublished poems, open to anyone over 16 worldwide. The prize is judged anonymously and past winners have included notable poets. The 2025 competition is currently open.

Top Prize:

€6,000

Additional prizes:

3x runners up: €1,000 | 8x further prizes of €250 | Publication online in Irish Times

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2025

The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

Genres: Poetry

The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry awards $5,500 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The prize honors the best unpublished collection of poems and is judged by a prominent poet.

Top Prize:

$5,500

Additional prizes:

Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

Related Resources:

 

Reedsy | Default — Concrete Book | 2024-01

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.