Below are the details for 17 free poetry contests in the order of the upcoming deadlines in October 2016 - January 2017. The contests are listed in order of deadline and in two sections: 1) open to most, 2) open to specific region, age, have a theme, etc. (including 5 contests for high schoolers).

Also listed are links to other sites who list creative writing contests on a regular basis.

FREE Contests open to most

Print Express Haiku Competition

DEADLINE: October 31, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

FORMS: Haiku

PRIZE: 100 pounds Amazon gift card and publication online

Jane Lumley Prize
DEADLINE: November 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

PRIZE: $300, publication, & Duotrope subscription

FORMS: poetry 

Scarborough Fair Creative Writing Contest
DEADLINE: November 30, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

FORMS: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction

PRIZE: Prizes of C$150 will be awarded to the winner in each of the three genres (fiction and nonfiction short stories, poetry, and flash fiction). Fiction and nonfiction compete together within the short story genre.

FREE Contests open to specific region, age, themed, etc.

Eric Gregory Awards

DEADLINE: October 31, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Collection of poems, published or unpublished, by a poet under the age of 30. Must be a British subject by birth but not a national of Eire or any of the British Dominions or Colonies, and must ordinarily be resident in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland

FORMS: Collection of poems

PRIZE: Total prize 20,000 pounds (average per poet has been 4,000 pounds, though exact amount not guaranteed)

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

DEADLINE: October 31, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Must be a Sophomore or Junior high school girl

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: Top prize of $200, publication in Cargoes (Hollins’ student literary magazine), as well as expenses paid to the summer creative writing program

Hajja Razia Sharif Sheikh Prizes in Nonfiction and Poetry

DEADLINE: November 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Theme of the experiences of being Muslim in America, do not have to identify as Muslim to enter

FORMS: nonfiction and poetry

PRIZE: Two $500 prizes will be awarded (one in each genre), and the two winners will be published in the Oakland Arts Review / 2nd Prize $300 (one in each genre) and possible publication in OAR

New York Encounter

DEADLINE: November 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Theme "Reality as Never Betrayed Me."

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: $300, $200, and $100

The Vermont Writers' Prize

DEADLINE: November 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Story, essay, or poem that celebrates the state of Vermont

FORMS: story, essay, or poem

PRIZE: $1,500

Neltje Blanchan/Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Awards

DEADLINE: November 14, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Wyoming residents only. The Neltje Blanchan Award is for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script that is informed by a relationship with the natural world. The Frank Nelson Doubleday Award is open-theme, but only women writers may enter.

FORMS: poems, fiction, nonfiction, essays, drama

PRIZE: $1,000 each for the Blanchan and Doubleday awards

Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize

DEADLINE: November 15, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Full-time Kentucky undergraduates only.

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: $500, broadside and online publication

Arts & Letters Awards

DEADLINE: November 15, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Residents of the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador only.

FORMS: poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, dramatic script, and French language

PRIZE: C$350 - C$1,000

Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

DEADLINE: November 27, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Entrants must be high school juniors during the 2016-17 academic year

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: 1st Prize $500, 2nd Prize $250, 3rd Prize $100; winners published online

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

DEADLINE: November 30, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Entrants must high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world.

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: Full scholarship to The Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop, an intensive two-week summer seminar for motivated writers aged 16-18

Lyric Magazine's College Poetry Contest

DEADLINE: December 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Must be a college student in the US or Canada to enter

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: $500

The H.S. Poetry Prize

DEADLINE: December 1, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: Must be a Sophomore or Junior high school girl in New England

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: $500

The Society of Classical Poets - 2017 Poetry Competition

DEADLINE: December 31, 2016

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: "The poems must be within the four themes used by the Society, and at least one poem must be in the Issues of Our Age theme.” Read guidelines carefully. No age restrictions.

FORMS: poetry

PRIZE: First place $500, High School Prize: $100, Translation Prize: $100, Hudson Valley, New York Poetry Prize: $100

NFSPS 2016 College Undergraduate Poetry Competition

DEADLINE: Submit between December 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017

ENTRY FEE: None

NOTES: "Undergraduates working toward a degree in an accredited U.S. college or university during the contest submission period are eligible to enter the CUP Competition."

FORMS: 10 previously unpublished poems

PRIZE: $500, chapbook publication, 75 printed chapbooks, $300 traveling stipend

Other Contest List Links

http://www.freelancewriting.com/creative-writing-contests.php

http://thewritelife.com/27-free-writing-contests/

https://winningwriters.com/the-best-free-literary-contests

http://www.newpages.com/classifieds/writing-contests