Best Poetry Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Poetry

The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize highlights an exceptional chapbook each year, offering a $1,000 advance, publication, and 10 copies of the book. The contest aims to support poets and their work.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Peseroff Prize honors Joyce Peseroff's contributions to poetry and literature. It is an annual contest that invites submissions of previously unpublished poems.

Genres: Poetry

Welcome to the 23rd annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre. $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style.

Genres: Poetry

The Interwoven project celebrates identity and community through poetry, aiming to highlight what unites humanity. It invites poems that reflect on shared experiences across cultures and places.

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.

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

This contest invites submissions that explore the theme 'Disability as a Strength', showcasing narratives around managing mental health, disabilities, and chronic illnesses. It is a chance for writers to express how these experiences have fortified their identities.

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.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The inaugural National Poetry Competition at Stainsby Festival invites unpublished poems on any subject, with a maximum of 42 lines. Judged by Roger McGough, shortlisted poets will read their work at the festival. Winning poems may be published in the festival programme.

Genres: Poetry and Script Writing

The TeenQuill Writing Contest invites students aged 12 to 19 to submit original, unpublished poetry and play monologues. Selected works will receive a $50 Amazon e-gift card and publication in Kinsman Quarterly. One winner is chosen each seasonal quarter, with submissions accepted throughout 2025.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Flash Fiction

The competition features an open theme and includes four categories: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, and Poetry. Each category has a defined maximum word count. Winners will be acknowledged at the festival and have the opportunity to read their entries.

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Poetry, and Short Story

The Big Moose Prize awards an unpublished novel, open to all writers. The winner receives publication, a cash award of $1,000, and ten copies of the book.

Genres: Poetry

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the largest prizes for individual unpublished poems, open to anyone over 16 worldwide. The prize is judged anonymously and past winners have included notable poets. The 2025 competition is currently open.

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

A writing contest encouraging submissions about a woman, real or imagined, who claimed her own identity. The work must be original and unpublished, focusing on a specifically named woman. Eligible genres include fiction, creative non-fiction, personal essay, and poetry.

Genres: Poetry and Short Story

The Writers Cypher is a first year, three-round virtual creative writing competition sponsored by Writers' Row Publishing House. Participants will compete for cash prizes, including two grand prizes of $1,000 each and an additional $500 for two runners-up. To enter, review the rules and guidelines and submit your first-round entry and $20 registration fee by December 30th.

Genres: Poetry

The TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest is an international poetry contest established in 2021. The contest invites writers from all backgrounds to submit poems. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication on the TCK Publishing website.

Genres: Poetry

The 'I Matter' Contest invites students in grades K-12 to submit original poetry or art focused on the theme of equality. It was founded to empower youth to express their feelings on racial injustice through creative means.

Genres: Poetry

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry seeks to recognize outstanding new poetry, offering a prestigious platform for poets of all backgrounds. It emphasizes blind judging to ensure fairness and aims to support the careers of emerging and established writers.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, and Young Adult

Etchings Press, a student-run publisher at the University of Indianapolis, awards The Whirling Prize each year to two books that demonstrate an excellent and compelling response to a theme that students at the university select. Student judges will welcome recently published books of prose and poetry in response to the theme of "mystery" published since January 2024.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Creative Future Writers’ Award, founded in 2013, is a free-to-enter annual writing competition for underrepresented writers. It aims to showcase diverse voices and includes cash prizes and development opportunities for poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Winners receive ongoing support and are celebrated at an awards ceremony.

Genres: Poetry

The Bridport Poetry Prize is a prestigious competition open to poets worldwide, encouraging original and unpublished works. It features significant cash prizes and opportunities for publication in an anthology.

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.

Genres: Poetry

The Poetry.com Contest invites participants to submit original poems monthly for a chance to win cash prizes and gain recognition. The contest emphasizes community involvement, allowing participants to vote on entries.

Genres: Poetry

This contest celebrates independent and self-published poets, allowing them to showcase their poetry books and pamphlets.

Genres: Poetry

The Happiful Poetry Prize is an annual competition that invites entries exploring themes of mental health and wellbeing. The contest is open to writers aged 18 and over from the UK and Northern Ireland. The competition aims to celebrate high-quality writing in poetry.

Genres: Poetry

The Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize invites submissions of poetry manuscripts. The prize includes cash awards and publication for the winner. Contest judge for 2025 is Elaine Equi.

Genres: Poetry

The Other Futures Award is an annual contest for innovative, adventurous full-length works that challenge genre and language conventions. It encourages submissions that imagine new lived or literary possibilities and question established paradigms.

Genres: Flash Fiction and Poetry

The contest invites submissions in visual art, poetry, and flash fiction. It aims to showcase innovative and authentic art while promoting diversity. Winners and runners-up will be featured on the website and in a Fall anthology.

Genres: Fiction and Poetry

Established in 1984, this award connects emerging writers with the New York City literary community, facilitating professional advancement through a network of agents, editors, and authors. The winners receive an honorarium, a public reading, and participation in a residency program.

Genres: Poetry

The Write by the Sea Writing Competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay. It includes cash prizes and publication opportunities.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.

Genres: Poetry and Children's

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual contest for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11. It highlights children's poetry and is judged anonymously. Previous winners include notable poets, and the prize aims to encourage new voices in this literary field.

Genres: Poetry

This competition welcomes poets writing in English, Irish, and Ulster-Scots. It encourages participation from around the globe, emphasizing the importance of diverse voices.

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

The 26th Annual Writing Contest is currently closed. The next contest will open on January 1, 2025. Categories and further details will be announced later.