The Best Poetry Writing Contests of 2022
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
CONNECT
Editing
Design
Marketing
Publicity
Ghostwriting
Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing ScholarshipsABOUT
About Reedsy Terms PrivacyGenre
- All
- Children's
- Christian
- Crime
- Essay
- Fantasy
- Fiction
- Flash Fiction
- Horror
- Humor
- LGBTQ
- Memoir
- Mystery
- Non-fiction
- Novel
- Novella
- Poetry
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Science Writing
- Script Writing
- Short Story
- Suspense
- Thriller
- Travel
- Young Adult
Manage a competition? Submit it here
Join our short story competition
Submit a short story based on 1 of 5 weekly prompts. Winners get $250.
Showing 144 contests
The Peseroff Prize
Breakwater Review
Submit up to three poems and a $10 entry fee. There are no restrictions on content or form: it 's all poetry. Poems should be previously unpublished. The winner and finalists will be published in Breakwater Review.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in spring issue
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 01, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contest3-6-9 Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
This poem has three stanzas. Each stanza has three lines that follows the 3-6-9 syllable count. The first line has 3 syllables, the second line has 6 syllables and the last line 9 syllables. The subject can be anything.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: September 20, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestOne Line Poem Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Share a one line poem to enter this poetry contest. Cash prize to the winner. How creative can you get with one line to work with.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: July 07, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contest20 Syllable Poem
FanStory.com Inc.
Write a poem using only 20 syllables. Write any type of poem. Any format. Any topic! Just keep the syllable count to 20.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: September 10, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestTake a Photo Poetry
FanStory.com Inc.
Go out for a walk and take a camera, smartphone or tablet with you. Snap a picture of something interesting and write a poem about it when you get home. Post the photo along with the poem.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: August 31, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestHaiku Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
For this contest you are challenged to write a Haiku poem. Haiku is a form of poetry that only uses three lines. A popular format is to have the first line contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables but a strict syllable count is not required.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: June 15, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contest2-4-2 Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Share a 2-4-2. What's that? That's a poem with only three lines that has 8 syllables total! So the first line of your poem will have two syllables. The second line will have four. And the final line will have two again. Cash prize to the winner.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning poems will be featured on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: February 07, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contest5-7-5 Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
A 5-7-5 is a poem that only has three lines. Each line has a specific syllable count. The first line has five syllables. The second line has seven. The final line has five syllables again. Write about anything! Cash prize to the winner.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning poems are featured on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: February 17, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestAcrostic Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
To enter this poetry contest share an acrostic. That's a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word (downwards). Cash Prize
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: February 24, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestLune Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Write a Lune for this poetry contest. It is a simple and fun form of poetry to write. It has 5 syllables in the first line, 3 syllables in the second line and 5 syllable in the final line. Rhymes are fine but not required. The subject matter is open.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 06, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestTwo Line Poem
FanStory.com Inc.
Write an essence poem. This is a poem of two lines with six syllables per line, each containing an internal rhyme and an ending rhyme.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 19, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestFour Line Poem
FanStory.com Inc.
Write a four line poem that has a specific syllable count. The first line has 1 syllable, the second line has 5 syllables, the third line has 5 syllables, and the last line has 9 syllables. The subject can be anything.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestFaith Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
The theme for this poetry contest is "faith". We are looking for poems that in some way pertain to this theme. It doesn't matter if it's spiritual, political, intellectual or emotional as long as faith is clearly represented.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 19, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestTanka Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
For this contest you are challenged to write a Tanka poem. Tanka is a form of poetry that often follows a specific syllable count. That count is 5-7-5-7-7. So your first line has five syllables, second has seven, third has five and the last two lines each have seven syllables. Cash prize!
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: April 30, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contest3 Line Poetry Contest
Fanstory.com Inc.
Write a poem that has a syllable count of either 5-7-5 or 5-7-7. It does not rhyme. But the poem must address a loved one.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: May 12, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestRhyming Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Write a poem of any type that has a rhyme scheme.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: May 30, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestABC Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Write an ABC Poem. That's a poem with five lines that follows the alphabet. Cash prize!
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: June 11, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestLove Poem Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc.
Write a love poem. All forms of poetry accepted. Your love poem can be fictional or non-fictional. It can be humorous or serious. The choice is yours. But it must clearly be a love poem.
Top prize
$100
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestTCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest
TCK Publishing
The TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest is an international poetry contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her poem on the TCK Publishing website. This contest is open to writers from all countries, backgrounds, and walks of life. Each submission may include up to five poems totaling no more than 500 words.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication on TCK Website
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: June 30, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestThe Best Haiku 2022 Anthology
Haiku Crush
The Best Haiku Anthology 2022 international competition is sponsored and judged by the Haiku Crush four-judge team. All traditional and modern haiku — including senryu, punku, monoku and haikulust — are accepted in this contest. Entries must be submitted in English. Judges select the best haiku based upon expressive and creative writing merit. The Grand Prize Winner receives $150. Two Judges Grand Mention winners each receive $50. Judges may select up to 47 runner-up winners who will also be published and promoted. Entrants may submit up to five haiku with each entry submission of $9.00 USD.
Top prize
$150
Additional prizes
Two $50 cash honorable-mention prizes, online publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $9
Deadline: February 13, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestHispanic Culture Review – Literary and Photographic Contest 2021-2022
Hispanic Culture Review
If the past year has taught us anything, it is that circumstances are always changing. Just as the world inevitably changes around us, we, too, go through various cycles of transformation in our lifetimes. Our identities are not static but evolve as we experience life and confront obstacles that come our way. Who we are is not fixed but rather a reflection of ourselves at a certain point in time and the journey it took to get there. As Maya Angelou once stated, “we delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” This year, we invite you to reflect on the following questions: What does the phrase “ever-changing” mean for you or your community with respect to the journey of transformation? What has made you the person you are today? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation. The selected works will be published in our magazine, and winners will receive a monetary prize of $100 dollars and a certificate of recognition, and will be notified through email as well as on our Facebook page (Hispanic Culture Review GMU). Prizes will be issued in the Spring of 2022.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Publication in print and electronic magazine, Certificate of recognition
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: February 06, 2022
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestAskew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest
Shuswap Association of Writers
Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), nonfiction (1,200 to 1,500 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems). Besides the cash prize, winners will receive a registration package for the 2022 Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival, publication in the Word on the Lake anthology, and copies of the anthology in print and ebook.
Top prize
$120
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestSAWG 29th Writing Contest
San Antonio Writers Guild
Preliminary judging by trained SAWG members, final judging by successful professional writers or university-level writing instructors who specialize in the entries’ genres. Every entrant can obtain his/her preliminary and final score sheets. Genre winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) may correspond with their final judges. This is SAWG's 29th contest.
Top prize
1st: $100; 2nd: $50; 3rd: $25 US
Additional prizes
Membership, list on website and FB, winner sticker
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $35
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry
View contestShare A Story In A Poem
FanStory.com Inc
Share a poem that rhymes and also tells a story. We included an example of this type of poem in the contest announcement. To the winner goes a cash prize.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning poems will be featured on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $9
Deadline: January 29, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestNonet Poetry Contest
FanStory.com Inc
A nonet is a poem with only 9 lines. The first line has nine syllables, the second line has eight, the third has seven and so on until line 9 which has one syllable. It's a fun and challenging poem to write. Enter this contest for a chance at the cash prize.
Top prize
$100
Additional prizes
Winning poems will be featured on the FanStory.com welcome page.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $9
Deadline: January 26, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestWheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize
Michigan State University
The Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize is a biannual poetry contest, awarding $1,000 and book publication to one established poet, and one new poet annually. Submissions are now open to authors of at least one full-length collection of poetry.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Book publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: February 01, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestNature and Place Poetry Competition
The Rialto
The Rialto working in association with the RSPB, BirdLife International and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place – these terms will be given a wide interpretation by the judge Daljit Nagra.
Top prize
£1,000
Additional prizes
A personal tour with Nick Davies of Wicken Fen, the location of his long term research studies of cuckoos
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 01, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestTor House Prize for Poetry
Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation
The annual Tor House Prize for Poetry is a living memorial to American poet Robinson Jeffers. The contest is open to well-crafted poetry in all styles, ranging from experimental work to traditional forms, including short narrative poems. Poems should be no longer than 3 pages.
Top prize
$1,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $10
Deadline: March 15, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestSnowbound Chap Book Award
Tupelo Press
The Snowbound Chapbook Award includes a cash award of $1,000 in addition to publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, a book launch, and national distribution with energetic publicity and promotion. Manuscripts are judged anonymously and all finalists will be considered for publication. Please read the complete guidelines before submitting your manuscript.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Tupelo Press
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: February 28, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestFrost Farm Prize for Metrical Poetry
Frost Farm Poetry
The Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH, and the Hyla Brook Poets invite submissions for the 2022, 12th Annual The Frost Farm Prize for metrical poetry. The winner receives $1,000 and an invitation, with honorarium, to read in June 2022 as part of The Hyla Brook Reading Series at the Robert Frost Farm.
Top prize
$1,000
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $6
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestCave Canem Poetry Prize
Cave Canem
Launched in 1999 with Rita Dove 's selection of Natasha Trethewey 's Domestic Work, this first-book award is dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by black poets of African descent. Manuscripts should be 48-75 pages in length.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication by University of Pittsburgh Press
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestBlue Lynx Prize for Poetry
Lynx House Press
The annual Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry awards $2000 plus publication for a full-length poetry collection. The Prize is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad.
Top prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $28
Deadline: May 15, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestFiction Factory Poetry Competition
Fiction Factory
Fiction Factory welcomes submissions to its first ever poetry competition, judged by novelist and poet: Helen Cox. Five shortlisted poets will receive a supportive critique on their poem. One winner from that shortlist will receive £100 cash prize, receive feedback on five poems they have written and benefit from an hour-long mentorship Zoom call about their poetry with the judge.
Top prize
£100
Additional prizes
Feedback on poems and a Zoom mentorship call
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $4
Deadline: April 30, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestWriter's Digest Poetry Awards
Writer's Digest
Calling all poets! We’re on the look out for poems of all styles–rhyming, free verse, haiku, and more for the Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards! This is the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for poets. Enter any poem 32 lines or less for your chance to win $1,000 in cash.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
Publication in Writer's Digest
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $35
Deadline: June 06, 2022
Genres
Poetry
View contestC. P. Cavafy Poetry Prize
Poetry International
We are looking for chapbooks with consistently strong poems—poems that speak to one another lyrically and thematically. A review of the finalists and winners from recent competitions has revealed that the strongest chapbooks are typically the shortest; as a result, we have changed the page limit and invite you to send a gathering of your strongest work to be considered for Poetry International's Tiny Chapbook Competition.
Top prize
$0
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: February 28, 2021 (Expired)
Genres
Poetry
View contest
