Season 8 Is On the Way!
A full list of the rules and guidelines for 2026 will be posted to this page soon!
Winning poems honor the theme, follow the guidelines, and speak from a place of authenticity. We are drawn to work that is intentional and imaginative—poems that breathe through personification, shimmer with alliteration, and unfold through figurative language, vivid imagery, and irony. Above all, we seek voices that approach their message with originality and insight, offering fresh, thought-provoking ways of seeing and saying what matters.
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Participating poets subscribe to the contest email list to enter.
Then, they are to write a poem based on the theme set by the host and submit it in the form of a Word document or PDF before the deadline.
Poets are welcome to be as creative as they like with audio and video. However, audio and video must not be submitted without the written version.
Our panel of judges will review all submissions and judge them based on attention to the theme, authenticity, creativity, and poetic technique.
Six poets will be selected to advance to the semi-finals, with three of those six chosen as the grand prize winners. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place cash prizes will be awarded.
