Category: Contests (No Entry Fee)

NO FEE Jack Grapes Poetry Prize, $900 in prizes! – Cultural Weekly, DEADLINE: Aug. 31, 2020

Cultural Weekly's 8th annual Jack Grapes Poetry Prize is open! This year they are awarding three winners and six finalists. The three winners will receive $200 each, plus publication. The six finalists will receive $50 each, plus publication. The contest is free to enter and will be judged […]

My new micro-chapbook “Reconstructed Happiness” free printable download

Tremendous thanks to the fine editors of the Origami Poems Project for publishing my micro-chapbook and to Laura Burke for gorgeous artwork “What comes through” on the cover. You can read the poems or download a printable PDF to fold into a 6-page micro-chapbook for free! They have […]

My new micro-chapbook "Reconstructed Happiness" free printable download

Tremendous thanks to the fine editors of the Origami Poems Project for publishing my micro-chapbook and to Laura Burke for gorgeous artwork “What comes through” on the cover. You can read the poems or download a printable PDF to fold into a 6-page micro-chapbook for free! They have […]

CASH PRIZE/NO FEE Poetry contest & editor interview – Origami Poems, DEADLINE: July 15, 2020

Origami Poems is a non-profit organization with a mission of “the encouragement of literature & the arts by bringing Free Poetry to everyone through the printing and distribution (world-wide) of free Origami micro-chapbooks as well as through poetry events, both of which engender increasing awareness of and appreciation for […]

NO FEE Poetry Book Contest, $250 Prize – Broken River Prize (Platypus Press), DEADLINE: July 31, 2020

Every once in a while a new press with new ideas and amazing projects appears on the literary scene. Platypus Press is one of those. I've been nothing but impressed with their creativity and professionalism. They are an independent press based in England and seek to unearth innovative […]

18 NO FEE Poetry Contests – DEADLINES: Dec. 1 – 31, 2019

Below are the details for eighteen free poetry contests in the order of the upcoming deadlines in December 2019. The contests are listed in order of deadline and in two sections: 1) open to most, 2) open to specific region, identity, etc. Also listed are links to other […]

NO FEE contest/submission call + editor interview – Everything in Aspic, DEADLINE: Nov. 30, 2019

Everything in Aspic is a new literary journal published quarterly with a free to enter monthly poetry contest. They are currently open for their monthly contest and for submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, or hybrid work for their first December issue. I wanted to know more about […]

NO FEE Sonnet Contest + editor interview – Better Than Starbucks, DEADLINE: Dec. 1, 2019

Better Than Starbucks is “Not your ordinary poetry magazine” and is published in print and electronically. They host regular features categorized by form and genre available on their web site and content is always available to read online for free. They pay $20 for monthly features via paypal […]

7 Cool Poetry Contests You Can Enter (For Free!) in 2019 – guest blog post by Tess Patalano

As most of us poets know, it's rarely cheap to enter your poems into contests or even submit them to literary magazines. Many contests come with sizable entry fees -- and unfortunately, those contests often end up feeling more like scams when the prize isn't quite worth the […]

Poetry Super Highway Contest (non-profit), $1/Poem entry fee, DEADLINE: Oct. 5, 2019

This contest from Poetry Super Highway is a great opportunity for only $1 per poem to enter, especially since you can enter as many poems as you like. And the prize money is not too shabby! Last year the winners took home $529, $317, and $211 for first, […]