Best Poetry Writing Contests in 2026

Genres: Poetry

The Snowbound Chapbook Award is an open competition for a chapbook-length poetry manuscript. It offers a $1,000 prize, publication by Tupelo Press, 25 copies of the winning title, and a book launch. The award aims to promote exceptional poetry and is judged anonymously.

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry

The contest welcomes submissions for fiction and poetry. Winners will be published and receive monetary prizes. Judges include established authors.

Genres: Poetry

The Oxford Poetry Prize is an annual competition for a single poem in English. The guest judge this year is Rebecca Tamás.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Emerging Writer's Contest, held by Ploughshares since 1971, recognizes outstanding work by emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Winners are announced in the fall and their works are published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Ploughshares.

Genres: Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The contest is open for submissions in short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Entrants can submit original, unpublished works. Prizes include cash awards and festival packages, with winners published in the anthology.

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: Poetry

The NPS Open Competition invites submissions of book-length poetry manuscripts from U.S. residents and American citizens abroad. Winners receive cash prizes and publication.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Writer's Games is a free competition aimed at improving writing skills, offering feedback from judges. The 2024 edition has concluded, and it featured multiple events with winners recognized in an anthology. Registration is necessary to participate.

Genres: Poetry

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition invites submissions from poets on any subject and in any format, up to 60 lines long. The winner receives the title and a cash prize, with additional prizes for runners-up.

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

The contest seeks linguistically, intellectually, and emotionally engaging work, aiming for complexity and beauty. It accepts various forms of writing including fiction, poetry, essays, and experimental pieces. The contest emphasizes artistic intent and thematic depth.

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: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The Places Writing Competition invites stories and poems about places that inspire or challenge writers. It includes various categories like poetry, short stories, and flash fiction, and aims to highlight the significance of places in literature.

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Rigel 2026 Writing Contest invites submissions across various genres, focusing on prose and poetry. Works must be unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are welcomed. The contest emphasizes creativity and diverse voices.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The Eyelands Book Awards are international awards aimed at recognizing talent among published and unpublished authors. The contest is based in Greece and encourages submissions across various literary genres.

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, Novel, and Poetry

The BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards honors the best self-published ebooks by African American authors in the U.S. across fiction and poetry genres. The awards focus on the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.

Genres: Poetry

The James Laughlin Award recognizes and supports a second book of poetry forthcoming in the next calendar year. It is endowed by a gift from the Drue Heinz Trust and is named after the poet and publisher James Laughlin.

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 in mystery, thriller, suspense, action, and romance genres published in the previous year. Entries for the 2026 competition are open now, with winners announced on August 22, 2026.

Genres: Poetry

Each entrant for their €24 entry fee will receive a complementary postage-free, one-year subscription to Southword. Poems will be read and judged anonymously. Poems must be previously unpublished. The winning poet will have their three poems published in Southword.

Genres: Poetry

The Fiction Factory Poetry Competition invites poets to submit works of up to 40 lines on any topic, provided they are unpublished and not discriminatory. The competition supports international entries and aims to foster creativity across diverse genres.

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 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, established in 1981, is awarded for a first full-length book of poems. The prize includes a cash award and publication as part of the Pitt Poetry Series.

Genres: Poetry and Memoir

This contest is for full-length poetry chapbooks (50-150 pages) celebrating a BIPOC or underrepresented poet. It seeks a thematic collection that captures a personal journey or season of life.

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: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) is an international literary contest that recognizes outstanding achievements by independently published authors. Entries are limited to indie published books, including those from small presses and self-published authors, judged on various writing skills.

Genres: Poetry

The Winchester Poetry Prize is an annual poetry competition that began in 2016, attracting global entries. It features a blind judging process and culminates in a prize-giving ceremony during the Winchester Poetry Festival.

Genres: Poetry

The Autumn House Poetry Contest accepts manuscripts of 50-80 pages. The winner receives publication of their manuscript, a $2,500 prize, and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant.

Genres: Poetry

The Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition is an annual prize open to original, unpublished poems in English of up to 40 lines. It celebrates poetry and offers substantial prizes while encouraging international participation.

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

The Storytrade Book Awards celebrate excellence in small and independent publishing, recognizing outstanding books across various categories. The awards aim to provide visibility and recognition to authors and their works.

Genres: LGBTQ, Fiction, and Poetry

The award recognizes LGBTQ-identified writers demonstrating strong potential for promising careers. It includes a cash prize of $1,500 and is awarded annually to two writers.

Genres: Poetry and Fiction

The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2026 is an international annual prize for unpublished pieces of nature writing. It is awarded to work that best combines exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world.

Genres: Poetry

The Free Verse Prize is a new poetry prize, which supports the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair. The judge is poet and former Poetry Book Fair director, Chrissy Williams. Poems can be on any theme, and should have fewer than 40 lines.

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.

Genres: Children's and Poetry

The Rattle Poetry Prize awards $15,000 for a single poem published in the winter issue of Rattle. Ten finalists receive $500 each and a chance for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award. The contest emphasizes fair judging through anonymized reviews by editors.

Genres: Poetry

The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry awards $5,500 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The prize honors the best unpublished collection of poems and is judged by a prominent poet.