- 5-minute read
- 2nd February 2023
Five Poetry Writing Competitions in 2023
Fancy yourself a poet? You might be interested in one of the many exciting poetry competitions taking place this year. You’ll have the chance to share your writing with a larger audience, take home a prize, and even get published! Read on to learn about five poetry writing competitions we’re eyeing this year.
Booksie 2023 Poetry Contest
Deadline: June 15, 2023
Who may enter: Anyone with a Booksie membership (which is free)
Contest description:
● The contest is run by Booksie, an online organization that helps writers publish and share their work online.
● Submissions can be any length and include any content, as long as the work is original to the author.
● You can submit as many entries as you’d like.
● The poetry must be written in English.
Entry fee: $6.95 per entry (or $3.50 for Premium members)
Prizes:
● The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, a gold winner badge, and promotion across the contest winner sections of the Booksie site.
● Two runners-up will receive $150, a silver winner badge, and promotion across the contest winner sections of the Booksie site.
Official website:
Be sure to check out the contest’s official website for full details.
One Page Poetry Contest
Deadline: September 30, 2023
Who may enter: Anyone
Contest description:
● The competition is run by One Page Poetry, an organization that helps poetry writers get exposure for their work through online publication.
● Entries must fit on a standard 8” x 11” Word document or PDF.
● You can submit as many entries as you’d like.
● All entries will be considered for publication on the organization’s website.
Entry fee: $25 per entry
Prizes:
● The first-place winner will receive $2,000.
● The second-place winner will receive $1,000.
● The third-place winner will receive $500.
● All winners will be featured on the website’s winners’ circle page and on their sponsors’ websites.
● Winners can participate in one-on-one interviews with the judges, which will be published on the website and on social media platforms.
● The top 100 entries will be featured in a published and distributed yearly compilation of poetry.
Official website:
Visit the contest’s official website to learn all the details and submit your work.
Autumn House Poetry Contest
Deadline: May 31, 2023
Who may enter: Anyone (except former employees and students of Autumn House or friends and relatives of Autumn House editors and judges)
Contest description:
● The competition is run by Autumn House, a nonprofit organization that publishes the work of lesser-known or first-time authors.
● The focus is on collections of poetry, rather than single pieces. Entries should be approximately 50–80 pages, with each new poem starting on a new page.
● You can submit as many entries as you’d like.
● The work cannot be published anywhere else.
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Entry fee: $30 per entry
Prizes:
● The winner’s manuscript will be published into a full-length book.
● The winner will receive a $1,000 prize and a $1,500 travel/publicity grant to promote their book.
Official website:
Check out Autumn House’s website to learn all about this competition and how to enter.
The Tor House Prize for Poetry
Deadline: March 15, 2023
Who may enter: Anyone
Contest description:
● The competition is run by a nonprofit organization, the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation.
● Poetry of all styles is accepted.
● Poems must be original and unpublished.
● Poems should be three pages or less, printed on 8.5” x 11” paper, and submitted through the mail.
● You can submit as many entries as you’d like.
Entry fee: $10 for the first three entries, $15 for up to six entries, and $2.50 for each additional entry
Prizes:
● The first prize winner will receive $1,000.
● Honorable mention winners will receive $200.
Official website:
Tor House’s official poetry prize website has all the details on how to enter.
The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2023
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Who may enter: Anyone over the age of 16
Contest description:
● The competition is organized by The Caterpillar, a magazine of poetry and art for children.
● Poems must be written for children aged 7–11.
● Poems must be in English.
● You can submit as many entries as you’d like.
Entry fee: €15 (or ~$16) per entry
Prizes:
● The first-place winner will receive €1,000 (or ~$1,087) and a week at Circle of Misse in France.
● The second-place winner will receive €500 (or ~$543).
● The third-place winner will receive €250 (or ~$271).
Official website:
Be sure to check out The Caterpillar’s official website to learn everything you need to know about this contest.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many exciting poetry contests happening in 2023. Participating in a poetry competition is a great way to get your work out there in the world of published creative writing, so why not give it a shot?
And before you submit your work, be sure to have it proofread. Our experts may not be poets, but we can check your poem for spelling mistakes, misplaced punctuation, grammatical errors, and flow. Submit 500 words for free!
