Poetry Contests in the United States 2026
Quick answer: 16 American poetry contests with fees in US$, 2 taking entries right now (October 2026) and 3 with no entry fee, followed by 3 open competitions that accept international entries. Each is listed with its entry fee, prize and recorded window. Check age, residency and other eligibility rules before entering. Dated source checks are shown per listing; recurring annual windows remain estimates.
Compare US poetry contests by deadline, entry fee and eligibility. The Free only filter finds listings with no entry fee; Open now narrows the list to the recorded submission windows. A US organiser may still set age, citizenship or residency requirements, so check each contest's rules before preparing an entry.
Open now (2)
- Poetry Society of America Annual Awards (United States). Open, closes December 15, 2026. Entry: Free for PSA members; US$10 per single poem award and US$15 per multiple poem award for non-members. Prize: Seven awards from US$250 to US$2,500, the largest the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award for poets over 40. Seven individually judged awards open to PSA members and non-members. Select an award and read its requirements before submitting via Submittable. Eligibility: Original poems primarily in English; no translations or coauthored work. Age, manuscript and prior-publication rules vary by award.. 2027 awards: entries October 1 to December 15, 2026; the published cutoff is 11:59 PM EST. Official date source, checked 2026-10-02.
- Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize (United States). Open, closes December 15, 2026. Entry: free. Prize: 1st US$1,000, 2nd US$750, 3rd US$500, 4th US$250, all four published in Poem-a-Day. One original, unpublished poem addressing the climate crisis; run by the Academy of American Poets. Eligibility: US citizens, people with ten years of US residency, or the specified immigration statuses; see the official guidelines.. 2026 call: October 15 to December 15. The official page does not specify an opening or closing time. Official date source, checked 2026-10-02.
Upcoming, ended or dates to confirm (14)
- Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (United States). Typical August–April window; current dates to confirm. Entry: free. Prize: $5,100 in total prizes, 1st $2,000. A genuinely free contest from Winning Writers for humorous poetry; closes on April 1.
- Tom Howard / Margaret Reid Poetry Contest (United States). Typical April–October window; current dates to confirm. Entry: $25 per submission of up to 3 poems. Prize: $12,000 total across the Tom Howard and Margaret Reid prizes. From Winning Writers, with one category for any style and one for traditional rhyme and meter.
- Rattle Poetry Prize (United States). Typical July window; current dates to confirm. Entry: $30, which includes a one year Rattle subscription. Prize: $15,000 for the winner, ten $500 finalist prizes. Every finalist is published and every entrant gets the annual issue; deadline is mid July.
- Palette Poetry Ekphrastic Prize (United States). Typical June–August window; current dates to confirm. Entry: $20 per submission of 1 to 3 poems. Prize: 1st $3,000 plus publication and an interview. One of Palette's rotating annual prizes; confirm the current window on their site before entering.
- Button Poetry Video Contest (United States). Typical July–September window; current dates to confirm. Entry: $15 per video submission. Prize: $500 honorarium plus a feature across Button's channels. Performance poetry on video for the internet's biggest spoken word channel; confirm the current window on their site.
- Frontier Poetry Myths and Fables Prize (United States). Typical July–September window; current dates to confirm. Entry: $20 per submission. Prize: 1st $3,000, 2nd $300, 3rd $200, plus publication. A themed annual prize from Frontier, which runs several through the year; a limited free entry window exists for historically marginalized poets.
- Narrative Magazine Poetry Contest (United States). Typical May–July window; current dates to confirm. Entry: US$26 per entry of up to five poems, with three months of Narrative Backstage access. Prize: 1st US$1,500, 2nd US$750, 3rd US$300, up to ten finalists US$75; all entries also considered for the US$5,000 Narrative Prize. Open to all poets, unpublished poems only; judged by the Narrative editors with results about two months after the late July close, and winners published in the magazine.
- Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest (Poetry) (United States). Typical February–March window; current dates to confirm. Entry: US$30, which includes a one year print and digital subscription; free for current subscribers. Prize: US$2,000, publication in Ploughshares and a conversation with the literary agency Aevitas. For writers who have not published a book in the genre; three to five pages of poetry, no residency rule. Run from Emerson College in Boston, with winners in the winter issue.
- Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers (United States). Typical November window; current dates to confirm. Entry: free. Prize: A full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop and publication in The Kenyon Review. High school sophomores and juniors only, one poem each, entries from any country; runs 1 to 30 November every year with winners named the following March.
- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Poetry) (United States). Check your regional deadline. Entry: US$15 per entry or US$40 per portfolio; fee waivers available. Prize: Regional Gold and Silver Keys, national Gold and Silver Medals and scholarships; poetry Gold Medallists are considered for the National Student Poets Program. For teens in grades 7 to 12, aged 13 or over, at school in the United States, its territories, military bases or Canada outside Quebec; entry deadlines vary by region. Eligibility: For teen students; only current seniors can enter portfolios. Age, grade and school-location requirements apply.. Deadlines vary by region and begin in December. Check your regional affiliate for the applicable deadline. Official date source, checked 2026-10-02.
- Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry (Nimrod Literary Awards) (United States). Typical January window; current dates to confirm. Entry: US$25 per entry, which includes a one year subscription of two issues. Prize: 1st US$2,000, 2nd US$1,000, both published; finalists and semifinalists published and paid US$20 a page. From the University of Tulsa and open internationally; three to eight pages of unpublished poetry with no name on the manuscript, finalists chosen by the editors and winners by a guest judge.
- The Adroit Prize for Poetry (United States). Typical April–May window; current dates to confirm. Entry: US$15, with a fee waiver form for financial hardship. Prize: US$200 and publication; runners up and finalists receive the judge's latest book. For secondary and undergraduate students anywhere in the world, one guest judge, results usually in October; the 2026 round was extended to 12 May.
- The River Styx Contest (Poetry) (United States). Typical March–September window; current dates to confirm. Entry: US$20 per entry of up to three poems. Prize: US$1,000 and publication in print and online. St. Louis magazine with a guest judge and winners announced on 1 January; unpublished poems, no residency rule. The 2027 round had not been announced when this was read, so the window shown is last year's.
- Missouri Review Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize (Poetry) (United States). 2026 entry window ended; check the next call. Entry: US$25 standard; US$30 All-Access. Prize: US$5,000 and publication in spring 2027; every entry considered for publication. Six to twelve pages of original, unpublished poems, judged by the magazine's editors. Standard entry includes a digital subscription and a digital TMR Books title. Eligibility: Current University of Missouri students and faculty and previous Editors' Prize winners are ineligible.. Deadline extended to October 16, 2026; check the official entry portal for the closing time. Official date source, checked 2026-10-02.
Open competitions accepting international entries (3)
- Writory International Poetry Contest (International). Open, closes the 25th. Entry: Shown in your local currency (a free entry option is available each month). Prize: Cash prizes, a certificate for every poet, and a five criteria score. Opens on the previous month's 26th, closes on the 25th, results on the 30th, or the last day in February. Every poem is scored on creativity, emotion, structure, language and impact and resonance.
- The Moth Poetry Prize (Ireland). Open, closes December 31, 2026. Entry: €17 per poem. Prize: 1st €6,000, three €1,000 runner-up prizes and eight €250 awards. The 2026 call opened on 3 October and closes on 31 December at 11:59 PM GMT. Open worldwide to writers over 16, for unpublished poems in English, including translations; judge Diane Seuss. Published cutoff: 31 December 2026, 11:59 PM GMT. This edition does not reopen automatically next year. Official date source, checked 2026-10-06.
- Magma Poetry Competition (United Kingdom). Open, closes January 31, 2027. Entry: £5 first poem, £4 second, £3.50 each after; less for subscribers. Prize: 1st £1,000, 2nd £300, 3rd £150 in each of two categories. Two prizes, the Judge's Prize and the Editors' Prize for shorter poems. The current call opened on 1 October 2026 and closes on 31 January 2027 at 11:59 PM GMT. The organiser's 1 October 2026 announcement confirms the current call and its 31 January 2027, 11:59 PM GMT deadline. Official date source, checked 2026-10-06.
Questions poets ask
Which USA poetry contests are free to enter?
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest, Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers, Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize cost nothing to enter. Writory also gives a free entry to each month's winners and to poets who enter three months in a row, so a fee is never the only way in.
What poetry contests in the United States close next?
The next American deadlines are Poetry Society of America Annual Awards on 15 December 2026, Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize on 15 December 2026. Writory's featured listing comes first, then contests within their listed submission window, ordered by deadline. Check the official closing time before entering.
Can poets outside the United States enter American poetry contests?
Most magazine and foundation contests accept international entries paid in US dollars online; the notes on each row say when a contest is limited to US residents or to students at US schools. Prize money is usually paid by PayPal or cheque, so check how an organiser pays an overseas winner before entering.
Why do many US poetry contests charge US$20 or more?
Because the fee usually includes a one year subscription to the journal running the contest, and the fees fund the prize. Contests without a subscription, such as Wergle Flomp or the Tom Howard prize, are cheaper or free. The fee column on this page quotes each organiser's own figure.
How is Writory different from the American contests here?
Writory opens its next monthly round on the 26th and closes it on the 25th. Results arrive on the 30th, or the last day in February. Every entrant receives a score out of 100 and a certificate; written feedback is an optional paid add-on. Poets from the United States compete in one worldwide field. Current entry fees are shown before payment.
Other countries
By the Writory editorial team. Statuses computed October 2026. Writory's contest for poets in United States, enter Writory's monthly contest, how to enter a poetry contest.