Looking for online publishers, poetry contests or magazines for submissions is quite a monotonous and tiresome process in itself, let alone the chances of finding relevant info. But not anymore!
Here you’ll find monthly updated contests and submission portals that’ll help you grow as beginners and support your writing career at the same time. Every contest is provided with all the information you need to know before submitting to it. Poets from all nationalities can take part in the poetry contests without worrying about submission fee. So, go writers!
Note: Some sites might be area restricted , VPN is recommended.
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Poetry Contests:
1. The Letter Review Poetry Prize
Deadline: Open
Submission Requirements: Entry Up to 70 lines per poem. Open to anyone in the world: No style or subject restrictions.
Prize: $1000 USD Prize pool for 2-4 Winners. Winners are published by The Letter Review. 10-20 Shortlisted. All entries are considered for publication, and submission to anthologies such as The Pushcart Prize. Judges’ feedback available.
2. The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Poetry Books
Deadline: Open
Submission Requirements: Open to anyone in the world: No style or subject restrictions. Submit the first 15 pages of your poetry chapbook. Poems of all varieties are welcome. Sonnets, comedy, blank verse, epic, rhyming, childrens, free verse.
Prize: $1000 USD Prize pool for 2-4 Winners. Optional: Winners are offered the chance to publish an extract at The Letter Review. 10-20 Shortlisted. Judges’ feedback available.
3. Poetry of Resistance 2023-24
Deadline: APRIL 30, 2024.
Submission requirements: writers aged 11 to 18 from around the world are invited for this contest.
Theme: Original poems that encourage young readers to resist stereotyping and pre-judging social groups and individuals. Poems that nurture mutual trust, love, and hope in a more just society are encouraged.
Prize:
1st place: $ 250
2nd place: $200
3rd place: $150
4. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Deadline: August 15, 2023-April 1, 2024
Submission requirements: single poem accepted per person. It should contain a maximum of 250 lines. No restriction on the age of the author. Both unpublished and previously published work accepted.Inspired gibberish is also accepted.
Prize:
- First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
- Second Prize: $500
- Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each
- Top 12 entries published online
5. Oxford Poetry Submission
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Submission requirements: Maximum of 3 poems per submission. Work submitted must be unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Prize: Publication
6. Jane Martin Poetry Prize
Deadline: 15 March 2024 at noon.
Submission requirement : Entrants must be resident in the UK and (on February 1st 2024) be between 18 and 30 years of age. Poems should be written in English and consist of a maximum of two poems. Poems submitted must not have been previously published.
Prize: The winner receives a cash prize of £700 and will have an opportunity to give a reading at a celebratory event at Girton College. There will also be a second prize of £300 cash.
7. 2024 “I Matter” Contest
Deadline: July 23, 2024
Submission requirement: Each entry must be original poetry solely created by students. The topic of the contest is :Black Lives Matter.The contest is open to students in grades K to 12.The contest is open to residents of the United States, as well as to international students.
Prize: $500
8. Oklahoma Poem Contest 2024
Deadline: 5:00 p.m. March 28, 2024
Submission requirements: Only Oklahoma residents are eligible to enter. The maximum length for poems is 30 lines.Poems can be rhymed or unrhymed.One poem per person.
Prize: Cash awards will be given in each category.
9. Celebration of Poetry 2024
Deadline: January 19, 2024
Submission requirements: Entrants must be between Grades 1-12 and a resident of York or Adams County. Entrants may submit one original poem in the style of their choice.
Prize : Honors to each winner
10. Youth poetry competition
Deadline: March 31, 2024
Submission requirements: All poets must be in grades 2-12 and live in the City of Dallas or attend a Dallas school. Entries must not exceed 20 lines. Only one entry per poet. Poems accepted in English and in Spanish.
Prize: Sixty finalists will each receive a medal and a copy of the poetry anthology.
All finalists will be invited to an award ceremony April 25, 2024, and have their work published by the Dallas Public Library in a bound anthology.
One finalist will be selected to receive the Joe M. and Doris Russell Dealey Award of Achievement with a scholarship of $500, and one winner will be selected for each grade category with a scholarship of $100.
11. Poetry London Submission
Deadline: open
Submission requirements: They do not print previously published work. Both electronic and postal submissions are welcome. Work should be original work of the
Prize: £30 per poem
12. Walk with words
Deadline: 31st January, 2024
Submission requirements: Content to be related to moments on the walk/ Colchester. Content to be under the theme of ‘Memories’.Word Limit of 250 words for written pieces.
Prize : 1st Place £300, 2nd Place £200, 3rd Place £100.
13. GRAIN MAGAZINE
Deadline: open from September 15th, 2023 to June 15th, 2024
Submission requirements: They accept typed, unpublished material only.
Individual poems, sequences, or suites up to a maximum of six pages are allowed.
Payment: $50 per page to a maximum of $250, plus two copies of the issue in which their work appears.
14. The Malahat Review
Deadline: Submissions by international writers are accepted during the following six months: January and February, May through July, and November.
Submission requirements: They do not publish any kinds of already published work whether offline or online. Simultaneous submission accepted. They accept 3 to 5 poems (up to 10 pages max).
Payment: CAD$70 per published page plus a one-year print subscription and two copies of the issue in which your work appears.
15. Kinsman Quarterly’s Iridescence Award
Deadline: January 31, 2024
Submission requirements:Themes should include the supernatural, extraterrestrial, or the paranormal. Must submit an original, unpublished work in English. Genres include, but are not limited to, fantasy, folk mythology, science fiction, and the paranormal.
Prize: First Place = $500 cash prize and publication
Second Place = $250 cash prize and publication
Third Place = $100 cash prize and publication
6 Finalists receive $25 Amazon gift card and publication
6 honorable mentions will receive publication
16. Iris N. Spencer Poetry Award
Deadline: February 16, 2024
Submission requirements:The annual competition is open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University. Limit of Three poems per Category. Unpublished, original poems composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms are accepted.
Payment:first prize ($1,500), and a runner-up prize ($500).
17. The Split Lip Magazine
Deadline: open on in selected months i.e. January, March, May, August, September, November.
Submission requirements: They are looking for ‘First-time electronic publication rights’ meaning fresh work that’s not published anywhere. They accept simultaneous submissions with one submission per writer at a time.
Payment: $75 per author for poems along with payment for print is $ 5 per page, minimum of $20, plus 2contributor copies.
18. The Spencer sonnet award
Deadline: February 16, 2024
Submission requirements: The annual competition is open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University. Limit of Three poems per Category. Unpublished, original sonnets are ac
Payment: $1,000
19. Harpur Palate
Deadline: runs September 15-November 15 and February 15-April 15.
Submission requirements: They accept 1-5 poems per reading period( 10 pages) for the contest. Poems with a strong lyric voice and sense of urgency are preferred. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Payment: NIL
20.The Spencer Poetry Villanelle Award
Deadline: February 16, 2024
Submission requirements: Annual competition is open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University. Limit of Three poems per Category. Unpublished, original poems composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms are accepted.
Prize: $1,000
21. Waxwing Literary Journal
Deadline: August 1 through April 30
Submission requirements: one to five poems are accepted in a single document in this poetry contest. Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Payment: Not mentioned
22. Myong Cha Son Haiku Award
Deadline: 16 February, 2024
Submission requirements: Annual competition is open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University. Limit of Three poems per Category. Unpublished, original haiku composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms are accepted.
Payment: $1,000 and $500
23. Rhina P. Espaillat Award
Deadline: 16 February 2024
Submission requirements: Annual competition is open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University. Limit of Three poems per Category. Unpublished, original poems composed in the traditional modes of meter, rhyme and received forms are accepted. The poems should be written in Spanish and translations of English poems to Spanish.
Prize: $1000
24. James Laughlin Award
Deadline: May 15, 2023 (EXPIRED)
Submission requirements: Entries must be at least 48 pages from poets that have U. S citizenship or similar.
Payments: $5,000, an all-expenses-paid weeklong residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, and distribution of winning the book to approximately one thousand Academy of American Poets members.
25. Briefly Write Poetry Prize
Deadline: 30 June 2023 @ 23:59 BST (EXPIRED)
Submission requirements: One entry per person. Poem must be 10 lines or fewer. Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Prize:
- £70, which will be split as follows: 1st – £40 / 2nd – £20 / 3rd – £10.
- Prize and commended poems will be published online. Each winning author will have the chance to be featured on the website.
26. Frontier Poetry Magazine
Deadline: always open
Guidelines: Submissions are open to new and emerging poets only. All submissions must be no more than ten pages and no more than five poems. Multiple submissions are NOT allowed.
Payment: $50 per poem.
If you are interested in more poetry contests, you can go through our poetry contests list with entry fees.
36 thoughts on “20 Free Poetry Contests to enter in 2024”
Great blog!
Thanks Paul
Great to be of help!
I want to know more about poetry contests
Hey!
Sure. You can contact us at contact@poetrymama.com for all your queries.
How I join this contest
Hey Suhana
Every contest is provided with a link where you can check all the requirements and submit to that specific one!
This is most helpful. Thanks so much!
Hey Hassan Usman
Great to hear that! It’ll be updated once any contest expires.
Keep in touch!
Thanks
Hi, why are the contests showing expired?
Hey Susan Mack
Writing contests have deadlines, so if any deadline has been met, an ‘expired ‘ tag comes along so you would know before clicking!
Our list has been updated, so there are no more expired ones!
Go writer!
I’m from Ghana and I have the interest to write the poems.
How do I submit my work?
Hey Ana-am Timothy Atanga
If you are eager to submit your poetry for contests, click on any provided links above and you’ll be able to find the required procedure for that specific contest.
Do remember, every contest has different requirements.
Hope Poetrymama was of help.
Thanks for contacting.
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Hey Stratton
It’s great to be of help. We at Poetrymama, highly appreciate your incorporating us!
Thank you for reviewing our work!
سلام ، سایت خیلی عالی دارید
I have been writing poetry for years now and never published any of my poems nor submitted them into any contests for fear that I could somehow lose all my rights because I don’t have a patent what do you suggest
Hey Grover!
Before submitting to any contest, we suggest you go through their guidelines first. Most of the contests provide all rights of the publication to its writer. Only publishing rights and distribution rights lie with the contest holder.
But, in case you don’t feel secure in doing so, we suggest you to submit your work to well known magazines. In that way, you’ll have all rights to yourself with additional payment from the magazine.
I got the rocks in my hand
Ain’t telling me what standing and shoot it
When I got passion I’m act as fool with it
I might cross you up fake one way
Turn around and hit you when ball went away
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Great to be of help, stay tuned for more!
Thank you for a very informative and helpful article/blog.
Stay tuned for new season of contests!
Most of my poems are personal for people that ask me to write for special occasions. Do the people have to give permission to use their names? I also write inspirational poems. How can I get more information and submit some of my writing? Thank You.
Yes Doborah, you have to ask if you can include any personal info in your poems whether name/residence/parentage.
We’ll soon update our contests to next upcoming poetry season. You can always come back n check if any particular contest applies for you.
Also, we’ve kept a free subscription to notification option available so that you’ll be able to know when there’s any new update on the site!
Thanks for a great compilation!
Thanks for compilation. It s really worthwhile, But I am unable to pay Entry Fee to “The National Poetry Foundation” for
my poetry submitted due to : No Clear for/advise/Account No. and 2ndly, unable to be member of Poetry Soup (for members only) as no clear advise/format there.
However, Thanks again for this work enabling us to go through it.
With regards,
Sukhendu Parui
No worries Sukhendu! We’ll put more of the contests that are easy to access.
Hi Jaezlan.
Thank you for your useful information.
I’m looking for International contests with these conditions:
1-free entry
2-Not limited to English, but Including other languages
necessarily Persian(Farsi).
3-Including poetry or/and short story.
But except ICPD Kazakhstan, I did not find one. Where can I find a contest with above conditions?
With great amount of love,
REZA
Hey Reza
We haven’t yet added contests outside english language but surely we’ll do in future.
For now, contact us on our e-mail i.e contact@poetrymama.com. We’ll help you find suitable contests.
Regards
Very useful information indeed. Thank you so much.
We’ll update our list for the new season soon!
Hello, I am writing from Nigeria. I am 73 years old with a huge interest in poetry. Kindly let me know how to submit my works for fair contests with my eights protected. Thanks
Hey there!
All you have to do is click on the links provided above, fill out their submission form and add your cover letter (if asked) and finally attach your work for the contest. All the above links are of recognized literature magazines which provides all rights to the writer.
Hello, my name is (Hussein Payam Hazim) I am from Iraqi Kurdistan. I will send you my poem to take part in the competition at the festival. I’ll be glad to participate. My poem is about women’s problems due to men.
I think it would be unique for a foreigner to attend your festival.
We encourage you to participate in upcoming contests although we are currently not hosting any poetry festival.