30+ Free Poetry Contests to enter in 2024

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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!

Poetry Contests

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Poetry Contests:

For beginners, here’s what you might need before publishing your work:

1. The Louis Anderson and Vicent Martinez World Citizenship Award

Deadline: April 15, 2025

Submission Requirements:  the award is for youth 13 to 25 yrs of age working with people of diverse socio-economic, religious, ethnic, or national backgrounds to build bridges of friendship and advance the consciousness of common humanity.

All nationalities can participate. Individual applications will not be accepted. 

Only teams of three or more are eligible to apply.

Prize: $ 1500

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Submission requirements: welcomes previously unpublished poetry submissions from all nationalities.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: Sun, Dec 1, 2024 1:30 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.  Seedlings Micro Poetry

Deadline: open

Submission requirements: Open to simultaneous submissions. Entries in English only. Original work accepted only.

Word limit: 20 words or less

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: 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: 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. Family-Themed Writing Contest

Deadline: November 15, 2024

Submission requirements: single poem in one submission is accepted. No length limits. Original work that is nowhere else published.

Prize: Three $100 first-place prizes (with publiation) and three $50 second-place prizes

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.

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38 thoughts on “30+ Free Poetry Contests to enter in 2024”

    1. 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!

    1. 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.

  1. Eνerүone loves what you guys tend to be up tоo.
    Ѕuch cleveг work аnd coѵerage! Keep up the terrific
    ԝorks guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll.

  2. 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

    1. 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.

  3. 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

  4. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. Onuoha Agwu Onuoha

    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

    1. 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.

  8. 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.

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