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DIRECTORY

Best Poetry Writing Contests in 2025

Showing 157 contests that match your search.

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Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, and Thriller

The Silver Falchion Award honors the best books published in 2024 across various genres, including mystery, thriller, suspense, and romance. The competition aims to recognize quality storytelling and is open to all published authors.

Top Prize:

$250

💰 Entry fee: $85

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry honors outstanding works of poetry, celebrating the diverse forms and styles of contemporary poets. The contest features a submission fee and specific entry requirements for participation.

Top Prize:

$1,000

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025

Genres: Poetry

The Hastings Book Festival Poetry Competition is an annual event inviting submissions from poets worldwide. The contest aims to celebrate new poetry and provides an opportunity for both established and emerging writers.

Top Prize:

£250

Additional prizes:

2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50 | Publication for winning poems. Winners may also be eligible for additional prizes like the Sussex Prize and Founder's Prize.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

North Street Book Prize

Winning Writers

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

The North Street Book Prize focuses on self-published or hybrid-published books, offering significant cash prizes and marketing services to enhance visibility. The contest has been running for 11 years and encourages entries across various genres.

Top Prize:

$10,000

Additional prizes:

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

💰 Entry fee: $85

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest is an international competition aimed at encouraging writers and poets to showcase their original works. The contest is open to all, regardless of experience, and accepts entries in various styles and themes. The mission is to inspire creativity and support literary talents.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

Second Place: $125 Third Place: $50 Winners may also have their work published online.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: April 06, 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

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Poetry

The Fiction Factory Poetry Competition invites poets to submit original works on any topic, with a maximum length of 40 lines. The competition aims to celebrate creativity and diversity in poetry.

Top Prize:

£100

Additional prizes:

Feedback on poems, a Zoom mentorship call, and publication

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

Winchester Poetry Prize

Winchester Poetry Festival

Genres: Poetry

The Winchester Poetry Prize is an annual poetry competition launched in 2016, attracting entries from around the world. It opens in April and closes in July, with winners announced during the festival in October. The event is free to attend, and the winning poems are published in an anthology.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd place: £500 3rd place: £250 The Kathryn Bevis Prize offers an additional £150 and workshops for the best Hampshire-based poem.

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024 (Expired)

The Book of the Year Awards

The Independent Author Network

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

The 11th Annual IAN Book of the Year Awards is an international contest open to all authors with 75 fiction and non-fiction categories. Winners share cash prizes totaling $6,000, including a Grand Prize of $2,500.

Top Prize:

$2,500

Additional prizes:

Minimum cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 for first, second, and third places in each category respectively

💰 Entry fee: $49

📅 Deadline: August 16, 2025

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)

Ambroggio Prize

Academy of American Poets

Genres: Poetry

The Ambroggio Prize is a $1,000 publication prize for a poetry manuscript originally in Spanish with an English translation. It honors American poets whose first language is Spanish and is awarded annually since 2017.

Top Prize:

$1,000

📅 Deadline: September 15, 2024 (Expired)

The Iowa Review Awards

The Iowa Review

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

The Iowa Review Awards is an annual writing contest accepting submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. It has been held every January since 2003, and winners are published in the December issue.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

First runners-up receive $750

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award

Claremont Graduate University

Genres: Poetry

The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award honors a poet for a single volume of poetry published between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. It is the world's largest monetary prize for poetry, valued at $100,000. The award aims to support poets in their mid-career, allowing them to focus on their craft without financial burdens.

Top Prize:

$100,000

Additional prizes:

The Kate Tufts Discovery Award offers $10,000 for a first book of poetry.

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024 (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)

2024 International Literary Prize

Hammond House Publishing

Genres: Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The 2024 International Literary Prize invites writers to submit entries in four categories: Short Stories, Poetry, Scriptwriting, and Songwriting. The contest emphasizes anonymity in submissions and offers cash prizes, publication opportunities, and feedback options.

Top Prize:

1st prize for Short Story and Poetry: £1000 1st prize for Scriptwriting: £500 1st prize for Song writing: £250

Additional prizes:

2nd and 3rd prizes for all categories: £100 and £50 respectively, along with publication for all shortlisted entries.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (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)

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

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 24, 2024 (Expired)

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