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The Best Poetry Writing Contests of 2023

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Genre

Manage a competition? Submit it here

Showing 195 contests

The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology

Auroras & Blossoms

Auroras & Blossoms is turning four this year. So, we want to celebrate in style. And what better way to do that than doing it with poetry? Welcome to the Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology!

Top prize

1% royalties per published piece ($)

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: May 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Invisible City

Theme: Levity. The world around us continues to move, spin and bring chaos. Levity helps ground us, keep us sane. What does “levity” mean to you? How has it made an impact in your life? We would love to read how you interpret “levity,” through prose or poetry, or some combination of the two. All genres and themes are welcome.

Top prize

$750

Additional prizes

2nd: $350 | 3rd: $100 | Publication for top 5

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 07, 2023

Genres

Flash Fiction, Poetry

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Snowbound Chap Book Award

Tupelo Press

Submit a previously unpublished, chapbook-length poetry manuscript with a table of contents. Manuscripts are judged anonymously and all finalists will be considered for publication. 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.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Publication by Tupelo Press

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: March 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize

University of Pittsburgh Press

The award is open to any poet writing in English who has not had a full-length book of poetry published previously. We define “full-length book” as a volume of 48 or more pages published in an edition of 500 or more copies. Books whose publication costs have been borne by their authors are excluded from this definition.

Top prize

$5,000

Additional prizes

Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize

The Georgia Review

The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is an award for a single poem, to be published in The Georgia Review. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and an expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading with the judge. We are pleased to announce that Hanif Abdurraqib will serve as the final judge for the 2023 Loraine Williams Poetry Prize.

Top prize

$1,500

Additional prizes

Expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $30

Deadline: May 15, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Emerging Writer's Contest

Ploughshares

In the spirit of the journal 's founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. Authors are considered "emerging" if they haven 't published or self-published a book.

Top prize

3x $2000

Additional prizes

Publication in Ploughshares

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $24

Deadline: May 15, 2023

Genres

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

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Flying South Contest

Winston-Salem Writers

Winning submissions in each of the three categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry) will be awarded prizes of $400 for First Place, $200 for Second Place, and $100 for a total of $2,100 in prizes. All finalists will be accepted for publication and will receive one copy of the current issue of Flying South.

Top prize

3x $400

Additional prizes

3x 2nd: $200 | 3x 3rd: $100 | Publication in Flying South 2023

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: May 31, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

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Hammond House International Poetry Prize

Hammond House

Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for intriguing ideas and fresh voices.

Top prize

£250

Additional prizes

2nd: £50 | 3rd: £25 Publication by Hammond House

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: September 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Letter Review

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry (up to 70 lines) is open to writers from anywhere in the world and has no style or subject restrictions. Winners are published and every entry is considered for publication. 20 entries are Longlisted.

Top prize

$400

Additional prizes

2nd $250 | 3rd: $150

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The UNO Writing Center's Writing Contest

The University of Nebraska, Omaha: Writing Center

The University of Nebraska, Omaha's Writing Center is hosting their 1st annual writing contest, open to Nebraska state residents (or remotely enrolled Nebraska university students.) It has three categories available in flash fiction, flash creative non-fiction, and poetry (up to 750 words.) The theme for the contest is: What it means to be a Maverick, and whatever your creative interpretation of that may be.

Top prize

Certificate | UNO Writing Center merch

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: April 10, 2023

Genres

Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

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3nd Annual WCWF Writing Contest

Wine Country Writers' Festival

Fire up those pens and get those unpublished stories and poems submitted to WCWF 3nd Annual Writing Contest. Three winners in each category (fiction/nonfiction/poetry), publication in Anthology, and your own copy. Entries: $15 or two for $25.

Top prize

$150

Additional prizes

2nd Place: $75 | 3rd Place: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: June 30, 2023

Genres

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

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Evening Standard Stories Competition

Evening Standard

We’re searching for fresh new voices who can take the idea of ‘belonging’ in a surprising direction, or tackle it in a way that stops us in our tracks. This competition is not limited to a ‘short story’. Submissions can be a piece of spoken word or performance, perhaps it’s a monologue, a script or a self-contained episode of a narrative podcast. Entries can be submitted as written, audio, or film.

Top prize

Mentorship with top industry contacts

Additional prizes

Publication in Evening Standard media

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: April 12, 2023

Genres

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

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Bacopa Literary Review

Bacopa Literary Review

Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Our Bacopa Literary Review Editors’ blog shows the quality of writing we seek by highlighting work we respect from previous Bacopa issues as well as other sources.

Top prize

£200 in 6 categories

Additional prizes

$100 Honorable mention in 6 categories

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 16, 2023

Genres

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

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

Sunspot Lit

Geminga is a neutron star so small it was difficult to detect. It was named, in part, for a transcription of gh’è minga, meaning “it’s not there.” With Geminga: $500 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art, Sunspot Lit honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. Word limit is 100 for fiction and nonfiction. Micropoetry is limited to 140 characters. Graphic novelsshould be 4 pages or less.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in digital and print

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

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

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New Writers Poetry Competition 2023

New Writers

The New Writers Poetry Competition 2023 is open to published and unpublished poets from around the world. There is no specific theme but poems should be no longer than 40 lines. NewWriters.org.uk will donate £1.00 from each entry to First Story (a creative writing charity in the UK).

Top prize

£1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: £300 | 3rd: £200

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $13

Deadline: July 12, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Wasafiri

Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. The winners of each category (fiction, poetry and life writing) will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication, and will be published in Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website.

Top prize

£1000 (x3)

Additional prizes

Mentoring & Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: June 30, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Memoir, Non-fiction

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Nature and Place Poetry Competition

The Rialto

The Rialto working in association with the RSPB, BirdLife International, Cambridge Conservation Initiative and The University of Leeds Poetry Centre. Poems are invited that deal with any aspect of nature and place – these terms will be given a wide interpretation by the judge Ian McMillan.

Top prize

£1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: March 01, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

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The Pinch Literary Awards & Page Prize

The Pinch Literary Journal

The 2023 Pinch Literary Awards accepts poetry and fiction. The 2023 Page Prize accepts non-fiction.

Top prize

$2000 for poetry & fiction winners

Additional prizes

$1000 for Page Prize winner

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Non-fiction

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Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry

Beloit Poetry Journal

Submit 1-3 unpublished poems on any subject in any style up to a maximum of 10 pages per entry. (We enjoy long poems!)

Top prize

$1,500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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North Street Book Prize

Winning Writers

Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book, up to 200,000 words in length. One grand prize winner will receive $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $500 account credit from Book Award Pro, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)

Top prize

$10,000

Additional prizes

$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $75

Deadline: June 30, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

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Write By The Sea Writing Competition

Write By The Sea

Flash Fiction (700 words), Short Story (2,500 words), Poetry (40 lines) Memoir/Personal Essay (1,000 words). The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of €500, a beautiful hand-crafted WBTS 2023 Writing Competition trophy and a free weekend pass to Write By The Sea festival 2023. All four winning pieces will be published on the Write By The Sea website.

Top prize

€500

Additional prizes

2nd: €200 | 3rd: €300

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $11

Deadline: June 04, 2023

Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Poetry, Short Story

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International Welsh Poetry Competition 2023

International Welsh Poetry Competition

The first Welsh Poetry Competition was set up by poet & writer Dave Lewis in 2007. The aim is to inspire people to capture life in the present day and to give a voice to a new generation of poets and writers. We are not interested in purely academic types of literature but would much rather see pure raw passion burst onto the creative writing scene in Wales.

Top prize

£500

Additional prizes

2nd: £250 | 3rd: £125

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: June 04, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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International Poetry Book Awards 2023

Poetry Book Awards

The Poetry Book Awards is an annual, international book award given to the best poetry books produced by indie writers, self published authors or books published by small, truly independent presses. We are proud to be a Welsh based international awards programme, open to all indie authors and self published poets globally.

Top prize

£400

Additional prizes

2nd: £200 | 3rd: £100 | Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $44

Deadline: July 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Booksie 2023 Poetry Contest

Booksie

Booksie is looking to crown its 2018 Poet Laureate. The poetry can be of any type, length, or content, but it must be your own. The poetry can be serious or whimsical, fact or fiction, but it should strike a chord that makes us sit up and take notice. We're looking for poems that say something and make a reader sit up and think. You may submit as many entries as you like.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

$150 to two runners-up

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: June 15, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The TRP Southern Breakthrough Series

Texas Review Press

The TRP Southern Poetry Breakthrough Series highlights a first full-length collection by emerging authors from each state in the southern U.S. This year's state is South Carolina. Open to any poet born in South Carolina, currently residing in South Carolina, or who has lived in South Carolina for five consecutive years at any point, who has not yet published a full-length collection of poetry. The author may have published chapbooks or books in other genres. Submissions accepted through Submittable only.

Top prize

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: February 28, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

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The One Page Poetry Contest

One Page Poetry

One Page Poetry is dedicated to the art of expressing a poetic theme on a single page, whether your poem is four lines or forty, whether yours is a love poem, inspirational poem, philosophical poem, or just one that is fun or whimsical. We welcome any and all poetic forms, as long as they fit on a single page.

Top prize

$2,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $1000 | 3rd: $500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $25

Deadline: September 30, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Autumn House Poetry Contest

Autumn House Press

For the 2023 contest, the Autumn House staff as well as select outsider readers serve as the preliminary readers, and the final judge is Toi Derricotte. The winner receives publication of a full-length manuscript and $2,500.

Top prize

Book publication | $1,000 honorarium | $1,500 travel/publicity grant

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $30

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The Iowa Review Awards

The Iowa Review

Each January since 2003, The Iowa Review has invited submissions to The Iowa Review Awards, a writing contest in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Winners receive $1,500; first runners-up receive $750. Winners and runners-up are published in each December issue.

Top prize

$1,500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story

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The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.

Top prize

$5,500

Additional prizes

Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $30

Deadline: March 03, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

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Tor 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

Additional prizes

$200 for honorable mention

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: March 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

View contest

Open Prize

The National Poetry Series

The National Poetry Series seeks book-length manuscripts of poetry written by American residents or American citizens living abroad.

Top prize

$10,000

Additional prizes

Publication of full-length manuscript

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $35

Deadline: March 15, 2023 (Expired)

Genres

Poetry

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The Plough Prize

The Plough Arts Centre

The Plough Poetry Prize is an international open competition for a poem up to 40 lines on any subject.

Top prize

£1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $7

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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The Hudson Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or short stories. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes awarded on publication.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

Book publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $27

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry, Short Story

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The Caterpillar Prize

Caterpillar Magazine

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for an unpublished poem written by an adult for children aged 7–11. This year’s judge is none other than Michael Morpurgo!

Top prize

€1000 + 1 week at Circle of Misse in France

Additional prizes

2nd: €500 | 3rd: €250

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Genres

Poetry

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Nimrod Literary Awards

Nimrold International Journal of Prose and Poetry

All finalists in fiction and poetry will be published and paid at our standard publication rate. Semi-finalists in poetry will also be published and paid at our standard publication rate.

Top prize

$2000 + Publication

Additional prizes

2nd: $1000 + Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: April 01, 2023

Genres

Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Novel

View contest

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