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:
For beginners, here’s what you might need before publishing your work:
1. Prairie Schooner Submission
Deadline: September 1st to May 1, 2025
Submission Requirements: Entry Up to 5-7 poems. Open to anyone in the world: No style or subject restrictions.
Prize: Publication and three copies each of the issue in which their work appears, in token payment.
2. Tabula Rasa Review
Deadline: December 31st, 2024
Submission Requirements: Open to anyone in the world: No style or subject restrictions. Submit 5 poems upto 3 pages of poetry . Poems of all varieties are welcome. Simultaneous submissions & previously published (reprint) submissions are accepted.
Prize: Publication.
3. Southern Poetry Review
Deadline: open.
Submission requirements: welcomes previously unpublished poetry submissions from all nationalities. submissions are limited to five poems (1 file), and should not exceed ten pages.
Prize: Publication
4. Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge
Deadline: Fri, Nov 1, 2024 12:30 PM (New challenge every month)
Submission requirements: The poem should be specifically based on the picture of the month. Rattle does not accept work that has been predominantly generated by artificial intelligence. All submissions are automatically considered for the annual Neil Postman Award for Metaphor, a $2,000 prize judged by the editors.
Theme: Art Inspiring Poetry
Prize: two winners—one chosen by the artist and the other by Rattle’s editor—will receive online publication and $100 each.
OTHER FREE RATTLE CONTESTS:
5. ZYZZYVA Submissions
Deadline: open
Submission requirements: no more than five poems at a time are accepted. There is no maximum page count for submissions. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Do not accept online submissions and submissions have to be made to:
ZYZZYVA
57 Post Street, Suite 902
San Francisco, CA 94104
Prize:
- Publication
- Prize
6. Sonnet Award for Undergraduates
Deadline: February 17, 2025
Open to Undergraduate student poets only who are enrolled in a United States College or University.
Submission requirement : Limit of Three poems per Category. The sonnets should be unpublished and original work of the poet.
Prize: $1,000
7. 2024 “I Matter” Contest
Deadline: open
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. Black Fox Literary Magazine
Deadline: November 30, 2024
Submission requirements: only three poems per submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.
Prize: honorarium of $20 for each published piece.
9. Villanelle Award for Undergraduates
Deadline: February 17, 2025
Submission requirements: Limit of Three poems per Category. Welcomes unpublished, original villanelles only. Open to Undergraduate student poets only who are enrolled in a United States College or University.
Prize : $1,000.
10. The Adroit Journal Submission
Deadline: Nov 2, 2024 12:30 PM
Submission requirements: Open to simultaneous submissions. Entries in English only. Six poems are accepted per submission. No length limits.
Prize: Publication
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. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Deadline: August 15, 2024-April 1, 2025.
Submission requirements: Open to all nationalities except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US govern ment restrictions). Only one poem is accepted. No age restrictions. Length limit: 250 lines maximum.
Theme : Humor poems
Prize $3,750
13. Blue Mountain Greeting Card Prize
Deadline: October 13 – December 7, 2024
Submission requirements: Contemporary prose or poetry written from personal experience that reflects the thoughts and feelings people today want to communicate to one another, but don’t always know how to put into words.
The poem length does not matter. Both long and short pieces anywhere from 50 to 300 words are accepted.
Payment: $300 per poem for the worldwide, exclusive rights to publish it on a greeting card and other products, and $50 per poem for one-time use in a book.
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.
14. The Malahat Review
Deadline: open
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. Thirteen Bridges Review
Deadline: Mon, Dec 2, 2024 11:30 AM
Submission requirements: submit up to three poems, totaling five pages or fewer for the online journal, and ten pages or fewer for the print journal. They accept simultaneous submissions. They do not accept previously published work.
Prize: publication
16. Rhina P. Espaillat Award for Undergraduates
Open to Undergraduate student poets who are enrolled in a United States College or University.
Deadline: February 17, 2025
Submission requirements: Limit of Three poems per Category. The prize celebrates original poems written in Spanish with the English translation and translations of English poems to Spanish.
Payment: $1000
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. Palette Poetry
Deadline: open.
Submission requirements: Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English. They accept simultaneous submissions. Submission must be no more than 5 poems and must not exceed 10 pages. They do not accept multiple submissions.
Payment: $50 per poem, up to $150.
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. Iris N. Spencer Undergraduate Poetry Award
Deadline: February 17, 2025
Submission requirements: unpublished, original poems are only accepted. Poems should be composed in the traditional modes of meter and rhyme. Limit of Three poems per Category.
Open to Undergraduate student poets only who are enrolled in a United States College or University.
Prize: First prize ($1,500), and a runner-up prize ($500).
21. Atlanta Review
Deadline: Mon, Dec 2, 2024 10:30 AM
Submission requirements: Up to five unpublished poems (7 pages max) per submission. Only one submission per submission period.
Payment: Publication
22. Myong Cha Son Haiku Award
Deadline: February 17, 2025
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. The Adroit Journal Submission
Deadline: Sat, Nov 2, 2024 12:30 PM
Submission requirements: six poems in one submission are accepted. No multiple submissions are allowed. No length limits.
Prize: $50.00
24. 2025 National Summer Poetry Contest
Deadline: July 31, 2025
Submission requirements: All work must be original. Entries should not have been previously published. Simultaneous submissions are NOT ALLOWED. One poem per entry accepted. Poems must be 48 lines or less.Any topic or style will be considered.
Payments: $3500 will be awarded in cash and other prizes.
25. Sillerman First Book Prize
Deadline: Mon, Dec 2, 2024 10:30 AM
Submission requirements: Only for African writers who have not published a book-length poetry collection. Manuscripts should be at least 50 pages long.
Prize: US $1,000 and publication by the University of Nebraska Press.
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.
27. The MacGuffin Submission
Deadline: Open
Guidelines: Do not accept work that has been previously published. Accept simultaneous submissions. Do not consider translations.
Payment: Publication
28. Poetry London Submissions
Deadline: Open
Guidelines: submit up to six poems. Particularly keen to read poems in translation, especially translations from endangered languages.
Payment: £30 per poem
29. Paterson Poetry Prize
Deadline: February 1, 2025
Guidelines: A book of poems, 48 pages or more in length should be submitted.
Payment: $2,000
30. Moonday Mag Submission
Deadline: open
Guidelines: Up to 5 poems not exceeding 10 pages collectively. Welcomes simultaneous submissions and previously published work.
Payment: publication + prize nomination
31. Harbor Review Submission
Deadline: Fri, Nov 1, 2024 12:30 PM
Guidelines: Send 1-3 poems. A cover letter is needed.
Payment: $10 per online published poem
If you are interested in more poetry contests, you can go through our Paid Poetry contests list.
38 thoughts on “30 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.
I just stumbled on your article, thanks for this. I will try it out
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.
So good to read up here. Thankyou🙏🏼