Upcoming Poetry Contests (January 2011)
Every so often, I get asked about upcoming poetry contests (whether via e-mail or through social networking sites). Usually I try to answer these inquiries one-on-one, but I’ve decided to…
Every so often, I get asked about upcoming poetry contests (whether via
e-mail or through social networking sites). Usually I try to answer
these inquiries one-on-one, but I've decided to start sharing upcoming
contests on here to make it easier for both myself and poets interested
in submitting their work.
WritersMarket.com is still THE place to get the most up-to-date
information for publishing your writing (whether poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, etc.), and Poet's Market is THE best book resource
specifically for poets (listing book publishers, magazines, contests,
and more).
Here's a list of upcoming contests for single poems:
- The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize
has a February 1 (postmark) deadline for a single long poem of 10-20
pages in length (32 lines, including line breaks, equals a page). Entry
fee is $35-45 (depending on location of poet). Entrants receive a 1-year
subscription to the magazine. Two awards of $1,000 (CAD) are given for
the best poems. - PNWA Literary Contest,
offered by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, has a February 18
deadline. Prizes include $700 and a Zola Award for first place and $300
for second place. Entry fee is $35 for PNWA members and $50 for
non-members. Poets can submit up to 3 finished poems, one poem per page. - Random House, Inc. Creative Writing Competition
is open to New York City public high school seniors only. With a
February 11 (postmark) deadline, this contest has a poetry/spoken word
category, in addition to other categories, with prizes varying between
$500 and $10,000. - Utmost Christian Poetry Contest
offers $3,000 in cash prizes, including a Grand Prize of $1,000, in
addition to many other prizes. With a postmark deadline of February 28,
this contest is for unpublished, individual poems by Christian poets
only. Entry fee is $20 per poem (up to 5 poems).
Here's a list of upcoming contests for poetry collections:
- The Robert Dana Prize for Poetry
is offered by Anhinga Press for a poet's 1st or 2nd collection of
poetry (previously unpublished). The winner receives $2,000, plus
publication by Anhinga Press, in addition to a reading tour of Florida.
The contest opens February 15 and has a postmark deadline of May 1. - Midland Authors Award
has a deadline of February 15. These awards recognize the best books
published in 2010 by authors who reside in, were born in, and/or have
strong ties with the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin. No entry fee. - Paterson Poetry Prize
has a February 1 deadline. This award, sponsored by The Poetry Center
at Passaic County Community College, is for a previously published book
of poems (48+ pages). The winner receives $1,000. - PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
recognizes book-length translations published during the calendar year.
With a $50 entry fee, this contest has a February 3 deadline. The
winner receives $3,000. - Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
offers a $300 grand prize, in addition to other prizes, for the best
previously published collections in multiple categories. The entry fee
is $50 for the first entry and $45 for each additional entry. Deadline
is February 1. - WILLA Literary Awards
honor books published in 2010. There's a $50 entry fee, and the winner
receives $100, plus a trophy. Finalists receive plaques. Deadline is
February 1.
*****
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*****
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
