International Poetry Contest 2026
Quick answer: The Writory International Poetry Contest runs monthly, in any language. Writers worldwide aged 13 or older may enter under the contest rules. Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission to enter and receive a prize. The current round closes October 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM GMT+5:30; results are scheduled for October 30, 2026 at 8:00 PM GMT+5:30. A single poem costs US$5 outside India. Every entrant receives a certificate and a five-criteria score out of 100.
Key facts
- Writers worldwide aged 13 or older may enter under the contest rules. Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission to enter and receive a prize.
- Checkout uses Razorpay in INR for India and PayPal in USD internationally. Available payment methods depend on your country and payment account; the fee is shown before payment.
- Prize-payment availability is separate from entry-payment availability. If you are unsure whether you can pay or receive a prize in your country, contact contest@writoryofficial.com before entering.
- Poets from 40 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 US$100 for the top three (1st Rs 5,000 or US$100, 2nd Rs 2,000 or US$50, 3rd Rs 1,000 or US$20), and entry costs US$5 for one poem, US$8 for two or US$15 for five outside India; India pricing is in rupees.
- 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.
- The current round closes October 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM GMT+5:30; results are scheduled for October 30, 2026 at 8:00 PM GMT+5:30.
- 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?
Writers worldwide aged 13 or older may enter under the contest rules. Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission to enter and receive a prize. Checkout uses Razorpay in INR for India and PayPal in USD internationally. Available payment methods depend on your country and payment account; the fee is shown before payment. Prize-payment availability is separate from entry-payment availability. If you are unsure whether you can pay or receive a prize in your country, contact contest@writoryofficial.com before entering.
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 October 2026.
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