Poetry Contest Zimbabwe 2026, Enter Online
Quick answer: Monthly poetry contest for Zimbabwean poets. English, Shona and Ndebele all welcome. Cash prizes, certificates for every entrant and scored feedback monthly.
Zimbabwean poetry carries two praise traditions, Shona nhetembo and Ndebele izibongo, into a modern literature that runs through Musaemura Zimunya, Charles Mungoshi and the performance work of Chirikure Chirikure. The Zimbabwe International Book Fair has drawn writers into Harare since the 1980s, and the city's slam nights keep the oral line audible.
Writory offers a monthly route to a wider readership. The window is the 1st to the 25th, the outcome is posted on the 30th, and prize money goes to the top poems. Every entrant receives a participation certificate and a five criteria score for creativity, emotion, structure, language and theme, held permanently in their profile. Submissions come in from upwards of 50 countries, which puts Harare and Bulawayo writing in front of readers far outside the region.
Writory is a monthly poetry contest open to Zimbabwean poets writing in Shona, Ndebele, English or any other language, with cash prizes for winners and a scored certificate for everyone who enters.
Why enter
- Shona and Ndebele poems go onto the same score sheet as English ones, and nothing has to be translated before you submit.
- Praise poetry, nhetembo and izibongo alike, is judged as a form in its own right rather than squeezed into a lyric mould it was never built for.
- Submission takes minutes online, which suits poets in Bulawayo, Mutare or Masvingo who sit well outside the Harare literary calendar.
- Fees are fixed in United States dollars, already the currency Zimbabwean poets use for online payments, so there is no surprise at checkout.
- Writing Africa and Christopher Fielden's competition list both carry Writory, which gives you an independent way to check the contest before entering.
What winners and entrants receive
- The winning poems each month receive cash prizes.
- A participation certificate is sent to every Zimbabwean entrant regardless of where the poem placed, and the ten best poems of the cycle are published on the open leaderboard.
- Winning clears the fee for the month that follows, and three consecutive months of entering earns a free entry as well.
- Your creativity, emotion, structure, language and theme marks accumulate in your profile, building a documented body of work across a year.
Shona nhetembo, Ndebele izibongo, mbira accompanied lyrics written for the page, dub and spoken word, sonnets and free verse are all welcome, in Shona, Ndebele, English, Tonga, Kalanga or any language you use.
Key facts
- Entries open the 1st, close the 25th at 11:59 PM IST, results on the 30th.
- One poem $5, two poems $8, five poems $15 (Rs 150 / Rs 220 / Rs 450 in India).
- Every poem scored by human judges on five criteria: creativity, emotion, structure, language and theme.
- A participation certificate for every entrant, not only winners, and the score is visible in your profile.
- Cash prizes for winners, free entry the following month for winners, open worldwide from age 13, any language.
Questions
Which languages can a Zimbabwean poet submit in?
Shona, Ndebele, English, Tonga, Kalanga, Shangani or anything else. Nothing needs translating first, and any poet aged 13 or over can take part from anywhere in the country.
How do the judges avoid favouring English?
By marking every poem against the same five criteria, creativity, emotion, structure, language and theme, where the language mark reflects how well the poem uses the tongue it was written in. Each entrant sees their own scores in their profile once the results are out.
How much is the entry fee in Zimbabwe?
Entry is $5 for one poem, $8 for two and $15 for five, priced in United States dollars. Poets who win pay nothing the next month, and anyone who enters three months in a row earns a free entry.
When are the results published?
Entries close on the 25th of the month and results appear on the 30th, together with the five criteria scores for each poem you submitted.
Related contests
By the Writory editorial team. Updated July 2026.
Enter the September contest · All poetry competitions 2026: deadlines & prizes · International poetry contest · Past winners · Read the winning poems