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The Best Poetry Writing Contests of 2022

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

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Showing 159 contests

2nd Annual WCWF Writing Contest

Wine Country Writers' Festival

Fire up those pens and get those unpublished stories and poems submitted to WCWF 2nd Annual Writing Contest. Three winners in each category, publication in Anthology, and your own copy. Entries: $15 or two for $25. See the contest rules and enter now. Blind Judging.

Top prize

$150

Additional prizes

Publication in an anthology

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: July 29, 2022

Genres

Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

The Poetry.com Contest

Poetry.com

Poetry.com offers monthly contests for poets worldwide to gain motivation, inspiration and exposure, while building passion and enjoyment for the written creative process! How are winners chosen? Our contest boasts a clever twist: poems remain anonymous whilst applicants vote on what they believe should be the winning entry.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

2nd place: 300 USD | 3rd place: 200 USD | Runner up personalized Poetry.com mug

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

The Paz Prize for Poetry

The National Poetry Series

Miami Book Fair will award one $2,000 prize every other year for the publication of a previously unpublished book of poetry originally written in Spanish by an American resident. The prize will recognize book-length manuscripts of poetry written in Spanish. Translations, works of literary criticism and scholarly texts do not qualify. The next Paz Prize competition will open in May, 2020.

Top prize

$2,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $35

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers

Nimrod

The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. Open only to writers whose work has not appeared or is not scheduled to appear in more than 2 publications in the genre in which they are submitting.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in the Spring issue of Nimrod

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: July 15, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

TWFest Poetry Contest

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival

Submit a collection of 2-4 original, unpublished poems of any style or theme, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines. This contest is open only to emerging writers who have not yet published a book of poetry with an ISBN. Those who have published books in other genres besides poetry remain eligible.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

VIP all-access pass to the next festival, where you will give a public reading

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: October 15, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Saints and Sinners Poetry Contest

Saints and Sinners

The winner will be selected from submissions of original unpublished poems by LGBTQ+ writers on the general theme of RAIN.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Two second place prizes of $100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: October 15, 2022

Genres

LGBTQ, Poetry

Bacopa Literary Review

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

We seek unusual perspectives, passionate voices, compelling work. This includes poetry, creative non-fiction, and short stories.

Top prize

£300

Additional prizes

£100 second prize

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: May 23, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest

The Comstock Review

Here 's how it works: our editorial staff chooses approximately fifty to sixty finalists. The highest scoring finalists (25 or so) are considered Special Merit poems. Special Merit poems go to the judge. The judge determines the top three prize winners. The entire editorial staff then selects the Honorable Mentions from the remaining Special Merits.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication by The Comstock Review

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: July 15, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Winchester Poetry Prize

Winchester Poetry Festival

We will hold a special prize-giving event on Saturday 9 October 2021. We are planning for this event to be a live event in Winchester. However, if there are restrictions still in place which prevent this, the event will move online. Winning and commended poems will also be published in a competition anthology.

Top prize

£1,000

Additional prizes

2nd £500, 3rd £250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: July 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Fischer Prize

Telluride Institute

This annual award is open to poets of all ages living in the US. Deadline for submissions is August 31st, 2021.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Attendance at Telluride Literary Arts Festival

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

The Hal Prize

Peninsula Publishing & Distribution

The Hal Prize offers publication to a readership of more than 25,000 and cash awards for winners. The contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and to photographers throughout the United States. Prose should be no more than 4,000 words and poetry no longer than a page. The annual literary and photography contest is presented by the Peninsula Pulse and Write On, Door County.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

Cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, publication in 8142 Review, and a handmade mug

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: September 15, 2022

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Hammond House International Poetry Prize

Hammond House

The theme for the 2021 competition - STARDUST - is intended to be inspirational, not restrictive, so please feel free to interpret it in any way you choose. Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for intriguing ideas and fresh voices. Top prize of £100.

Top prize

£100

Additional prizes

Publication by Hammond House

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Dream Quest One Poetry

Dream Quest One

This poetry contest is open to everyone and international. We hope that you are inspired to display the beauty and art of poetry for the entire world to see your "gift of a dream."

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

$125 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd place

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: August 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Troubadour International Poetry Prize

Coffee House Poetry

Poems may be submitted from any country & must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must show title & poem only, must not show poet’s name, must be the original work of the entrant (no translations) & must not have been previously published; no text alterations accepted after submission; no limit on number of poems or number of subsequent submissions.

Top prize

£2,000

Additional prizes

2nd £1000, 3rd £500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: September 26, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Tom Howard / Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Winning Writers

Welcome to the 19th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre. $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style.

Top prize

$3,000

Additional prizes

$200 for 10 honorable mentions

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: September 30, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Black River Chapbook Competition

Black Lawrence Press

Twice each year Black Lawrence Press run the Black River Chapbook Competition for an unpublished chapbook of poems or prose between 16-36 pages in length. The contest is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication by Black Lawrence Press

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry, Short Story, Fiction

8th Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Ó Bhéal

At around noon each Tuesday (GMT), from 12 April 2022 to 31 January 2023, five words are posted on the Ó Bhéal Five Words competition page. Entrants have one week to compose and submit poems that include all five words given for the week. The competition runs for 42 weeks, and a prize of 750 euro is awarded to one winner.

Top prize

€750

Additional prizes

€500, €250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: January 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

Short on Words 2022

Preservation Dental sponsor of Short on Words writing contest

Short on Words- the short story, poetry writing contest is calling on authors of all ages! The annual contest is celebrating its tenth anniversary- ninth edition and is currently receiving submissions from around the country with a new online submission tool - NEW this year. The competition is calling on aspiring authors of all ages to create unique prose about one of ten photographs taken by Dr. William Demray, founder of Preservation Dental in Northville. Preservation Dental is again sponsoring the competition, in conjunction with Northville’s annual Arts & Acts Festival.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 22, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry, Short Story

Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2022

CANTERBURY FESTIVAL

Open to entries on any subject and in any format, we look forward to an array of poems from across the world! Poems must be no longer than 60 lines and entrants must be over 18. The first prize for the Poet of the Year is £200, second place receives £100 and third receives £50. A longlist of around 35 poems is chosen from the entries and these are included in the annual Poet of the Year anthology – available to purchase from the Festival Office and online from October. From the longlist, a shortlist of around 15 poems are selected and the poets are invited to read them at the Awards Evening on October 6 where the winners will be announced. We are delighted that this year’s event will be held by Zoom, allowing poets from around the world to attend.

Top prize

$260

Additional prizes

Publication in anthology

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: June 03, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Two 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: December 05, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Minute Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc

Share a minute poem to enter this poetry contest. It's a fun poem to write. It has three stanzas. Each stanza has the same 8-4-4-4 syllable count. So the first line has eight syllables. All other lines in the stanza have four. Cash prize to the winner!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 22, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Lune Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

A Lune is a 5-3-5 contest. That means the first line has five syllables. The second line of your poem will have three. And the final line will have five again. Your poem can rhyme. Write about anything. Cash prize!

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 16, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Sonnet Poetry Contest

FanStory.com Inc

A sonnet is a poem with a specific structure. It has 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme. The topic is open! Write about anything for this poetry contest. Just follow the rules on how to write a sonnet. To read the rules and for an example view the contest announcement. Cash prize for the winner of this contest.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: November 06, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Fanstory Writing Contests

Fanstory

Subscribe to Fanstory for $9.95 a month and enter as many contests as you like from their list of writing and poetry contests, updated daily. All participants receive feedback from a community of writers, and the winner of each contest receives a cash prize of up to $100.

Top prize

Cash prizes of up to $100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: January 31, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Anthology Poetry Award

Anthology Magazine

Entries are now invited for the Anthology Poetry Award. Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Poems submitted must be on the theme of ‘Freedom’ and should not exceed 40 lines.

Top prize

€500 and a one year subscription to Anthology magazine

Additional prizes

Publication in Anthology Magazine, one-year subscription

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $17

Deadline: October 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Fiction 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: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

March Micro Writing Competition

Globe Soup

We accept: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Each month has a theme. You have just 100 words to write something interesting, unique, and impactful based on the theme. Entry to your first contest is £3, after that you can enter all subsequent contests for free each month. You can get peer feedback on your entry too. The theme this month is: Yellow/Orange.

Top prize

$133

Additional prizes

Publication on our website

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $4

Deadline: March 14, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

Science me a Story

Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK)

This competition was created with the aim of promoting scientific outreach in a fun and engaging way, appropriate for primary school children. The ultimate goal of the contest is to promote scientific spirit and inspire the generations that will build our future. We hope to achieve this through the communication of scientific achievements, findings, methods, and anecdotes in the form of short stories.

Top prize

$267

Additional prizes

£150 and £100 runner ups

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 24, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story

Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award

Plough Publishing

This award honors the achievements of the great Dominican-American poet, translator, and public school teacher Rhina Polonia Espaillat. The Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award will be awarded for an original poem of not more than fifty lines that reflects her lyricism, empathy, and ability to find grace in everyday events of life.

Top prize

$2,000

Additional prizes

Publication in Plough Quarterly. Two finalists will receive $250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: March 30, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Invisible City

Invisible City's Blurred Genres Flash Contest, judged by Lynn Steger Strong, is open for free submissions March 1 through 31. $500 to first place, $200 to second, $100 to third, and publication for the top five. Entries must be 750 words or less unpublished flash fiction, prose poetry, or something in between.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

$200 to second, $100 to third, publication for top 5

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: March 31, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Flash Fiction, Poetry

International Poetry Book Awards 2022

Poetry Book Awards

International contest looking for the best poetry books from Indies, small press and independent publishers. Prizes: 1st - £300; 2nd - £150; 3rd - £75; plus gold, silver, bronze logo for use on book, publicity, reviews on Amazon & Goodreads. Publication, bio, book cover all linked on our website. Overall winner gets 1 year subscription to PN Review. Judge: John Evans

Top prize

$400

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $40

Deadline: July 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

International Welsh Poetry Competition 2022

International Welsh Poetry Competition

The 16th international English language competition is now open and accepting entries! This year we shall be offering the following prizes: 1st Prize - £500, 2nd Prize - £250, 3rd Prize - £100, plus 17 runners up prizes of being published on our website and in a future anthology. Our judge for 2022 will be John Evans

Top prize

$667

Additional prizes

Cash prizes, plus publication in future anthology

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: May 31, 2022

Genres

Poetry

Geminga: $250 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art

Sunspot Lit

Authors and artists eligible. Sunspot Lit’s Geminga contest honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. $250 cash, publication for the winner, and publication offered to runners-up and finalists. Enter as many times as you like, but only one piece per submission.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

Publication in digital and print

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: March 31, 2022 (Expired)

Genres

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Wasafiri

The competition is organised by Wasafiri, a quarterly British literary magazine. The prize is judged in three categories: Fiction, Poetry, and Life Writing. Fee is per entry: £10 for a single entry, £16  for a double entry. No entry may exceed 3,000 words. This year, the Prize will be chaired by Marina Salandy-Brown, who will be joined by a panel of multi-award-winning judges: Mary Jean Chan (judging Poetry), Preti Taneja (judging Fiction), and Francesca Wade (judging Life Writing). The winners of each category will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be published in  Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website. Entries must not have been previously published in any form (excluding live performances or shares on personal blogs or on social media).

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication in printed magazine and online + mentoring

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $14

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story

Teen Angst: Mix Tape Vol 2

4 Horsemen Publications, Inc.

Poetry, Journals, Diaries & Love Letters, we all have them collecting dust on a shelf, in a box under your bed, or hidden away in the attic where no one can find them. That journal, diary, or even composition book full of your teen angst. We want them. In the raw, unedited, all the teen angst you can hit us with. Take a picture of the journal, the page, angsty doodles,love letters and more. We will share them to the world, all backgrounds, all ages and generations (including our own)! This project is co-hosted between 4 Horsemen Publications and Battle Goddess Productions.

Top prize

Publication in anthology

Additional prizes

Access to buy author copies at a discounted rate

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: June 30, 2022

Genres

Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry

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