International Poetry Contest 2026, Open to Every Country
Quick answer: The Writory International Poetry Contest runs every month in 2026 and is open to poets in every country from age 13 upward, in any language. Entries open on the 1st, close on the 25th at 11:59 PM India Standard Time, and results arrive on the 30th of the same month. A single poem costs $5, two cost $8 and five cost $15. Winners take cash prizes of up to Rs 5,000 or $100 plus free entry the following month, and every entrant, not only the winners, receives a participation certificate and a five criteria score out of 100.
Key facts
- Poets from 29 countries have entered so far, and monthly winners have come from India, the United States, Ireland, Kenya, Slovenia and Brazil, published with names and scores on the winners page.
- Poems are accepted in any language with no translation required: no poem is translated for judging, and the five criteria do not depend on the language of the poem.
- Cash prizes go up to Rs 5,000 or $100 for the top three (1st Rs 5,000 or $100, 2nd Rs 2,000 or $50, 3rd Rs 1,000 or $20), and entry costs $5 for one poem, $8 for two or $15 for five, charged in your local currency at checkout.
- Every poem is read blind and scored on creativity, emotion, structure, language and impact and resonance; the full scorecard is visible in the poet's own profile whether the poem wins or not.
- Results arrive in days, not months: the round closes on the 25th and every entrant has their score and certificate by the 30th.
- Winning poems are published each month with the poet's byline, and winners earn free entry to the next round; three consecutive months of entering earns a free entry as well.
- Writory is listed by Duotrope, Christopher Fielden's competition list, Poetry Ireland, Reedsy and Writing Africa.
- Poets keep all rights to their poems, always.
Questions
Is the Writory contest open to international poets?
Yes. It is open worldwide with no residency requirement. Fees are charged in US dollars outside India and in rupees within India, and monthly winners so far have come from five countries across three continents.
Do I have to write in English?
No. Poems are accepted in any language and no poem is translated for judging: every poem is assessed in its original language against the same five published criteria, which do not depend on the language of the poem.
Which international poetry competitions are free to enter in 2026?
At Writory, free entry is earned rather than open: monthly winners enter the next round free, and three consecutive months of paid entries earns a free entry. Standard entry starts at $5, and every entry, earned or paid, receives the same blind judging, score and certificate.
How is an international entry judged fairly against local ones?
Judging is blind: names and countries come off before reading, so a first entry from Nairobi is read exactly like one from Delhi. Every entrant sees their five-part score out of 100, so the judging of each poem is visible to the poet who wrote it.
What makes this different from other international poetry contests?
Most contests reply with silence unless you win. Writory scores every poem on five published criteria, shows the score to the poet, issues a certificate to every entrant, and announces results within days of the deadline rather than months.
By the Writory editorial team. Updated September 2026.
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