December is the year-end rush for poets. The Poetry Society of America’s annual awards, the $20,000 Four Quartets Prize, Mslexia’s women’s competitions, The Moth Poetry Prize and Tupelo’s Dorset Prize all close this month, along with several chapbook contests and a few free and paying journal calls.
Below is a curated roundup of poetry contests December 2026 and related calls we verified on official contest or publisher pages. Every entry is marked Fee (with the entry cost) or No Fee, so you can spot free calls at a glance. Always double-check guidelines (fees, eligibility, and formatting) before you send.
Looking for another month? See the Poetry Submission Deadlines Calendar, which we update monthly and publish about two weeks before each month begins.
Poetry Contests & Prizes Closing in December 2026
- 2026 Poetry Contest: The Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem (The Fiddlehead) – Fee: CAD$35 (Canada) / CAD$50 (elsewhere) – Deadline: December 1, 2026 (postmarked for mail; Submittable entries by 11:59pm, Atlantic Standard Time per the guidelines). CAD$35 first entry from Canada, CAD$50 (about US$40) from elsewhere; CAD$10 each additional entry; the first entry includes a one-year subscription. CAD$2,000 for best poem; judges Farah Ghafoor, Fawn Parker and Patricia Young. Up to 3 poems per entry, max 100 lines each; unpublished (online counts as published), no simultaneous submissions, no AI-assisted work.
→ Submit here: https://thefiddlehead.submittable.com/submit/366394/2026-poetry-contest-the-ralph-gustafson-prize-for-best-poem - Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (African Poetry Book Fund / University of Nebraska Press) – No Fee – Deadline: December 1, 2026 (opened September 15). No entry fee. US$1,000 + publication by the University of Nebraska Press. African poets who have not published a book-length poetry collection (self-published books count); manuscripts of at least 50 pages, in English; electronic submissions only.
→ Submit here: https://africanpoetrybookfund.submittable.com/submit/46724/sillerman-first-book-prize-for-african-poets - Neville Dawes First Book Prize for Emerging Caribbean Poets (Caribbean Poetry Book Series: Calabash / University of Nebraska Press) – No Fee – Deadline: December 1, 2026 (opened September 15). No reading fee. US$1,000 + publication of a full-length collection by the University of Nebraska Press. Poets of Caribbean origin living anywhere who haven’t published a full-length poetry book; manuscripts of at least 50 pages.
→ Submit here: https://caribbeanpoetrybookseriescalabash.submittable.com/submit - 21st Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards (Writer’s Digest) – Fee: $25 poem / $40 chapbook – Deadline: December 1, 2026 (11:59pm EST; the early-bird rate ended November 2). Single poem $25 first entry / $20 each additional; chapbook $40 first / $35 each additional. Each category: 1st $1,000 + an interview in Writer’s Digest and publication (single poem) in the July/August 2027 issue; 2nd $250; 3rd $100; places 4–25 get shop credit and promotion. Two categories: single poem and chapbook.
→ Details: https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/poetry-awards - 2026 Bio-Sanctuary Contest (AgArts) – Fee: $10 – Deadline: December 1, 2026. $10 entry fee. $1,000 first prize, $500 runner-up. Poetry or nonfiction of 500 words max, on the contest’s bio-sanctuary/food-system theme (read the brief first).
→ Details: https://www.agarts.org/agarts-announces-the-2026-bio-sanctuary-contest/ - 2026 Nossrat Yassini Poetry Prize (University of New Hampshire / YAS Foundation) – Fee: $50 – Deadline: December 4, 2026 (three physical copies postmarked by 12/4/26, plus a PDF). $50 fee. $10,000 + a headline reading at the Nossrat Yassini Poetry Festival (UNH, April 16–17, 2027); judged by Patricia Smith. A U.S. poet’s first full-length collection (48+ pages, with ISBN) published January 1–December 31, 2026; the winner must attend the festival.
→ Submit here: https://yaspress.submittable.com/submit - Newcastle Poetry Prize 2026–27 (Hunter Writers’ Centre) – Fee: A$35.20 per poem – Deadline: December 6, 2026 (8pm AEDT, which is early morning December 6 in U.S. time zones). A$35.20 per poem (A$30.25 for HWC members). A$21,000 prize pool: 1st A$10,000, 2nd A$5,000, 3rd A$2,500, plus Highly Commended and special prizes (including A$1,500 for poets under 36), and publication in the anthology. Australian citizens or permanent residents only (aged 18+, living anywhere); one poem per entry, up to 200 lines.
→ Details: https://hunterwriterscentre.org/newcastle-poetry-prize/ - Women’s Poetry Competition 2026 (Mslexia) – Fee: £12 – Deadline: December 7, 2026 (23:59 GMT). £12 per entry (up to three poems). 1st £2,000, 2nd £500, 3rd £250, plus a £250 Unpublished Poet Prize; judged by Rachel Long. Women poets; unpublished poems of any length, on any subject.
→ Details: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/single-poem-poetry/womens-poetry-competition-2026/ - Women’s Pamphlet Competition 2026 (Mslexia) – Fee: £20 – Deadline: December 7, 2026 (23:59 GMT). £20 entry. 1st £500 + pamphlet publication by Bloodaxe Books (and a poem in Mslexia); judged by Maura Dooley. 18–20 poems, 20–24 pages, by women who have never had a full-length collection published.
→ Details: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/pamphlet-poetry/womens-pamphlet-competition-2026/ - 2026 Devotion & Divination Prize (Frontier Poetry) – Fee: $20 – Deadline: December 13, 2026 (opened October 12). $20 per submission (a free window for poets from historically marginalized groups, capped at 50, opens first). 1st $3,000 + publication; 2nd $300; 3rd $200; judged by Hala Alyan. Up to 3 poems, 5 pages max, on spirituality and the supernatural; poets with no more than one full-length poetry book published or forthcoming.
→ Submit here: https://frontier.submittable.com/submit/370183/2026-devotion-divination-prize - Poetry Society of America Annual Awards 2027 (Poetry Society of America) – Fee: $10–$15 (free for PSA members) – Deadline: December 15, 2026 (11:59pm EST; opened October 1). Free for PSA members; non-members pay $10 for single-poem awards and $15 for multi-poem awards. Seven awards from $250 to $2,500: Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award ($250, poem of 16 lines or fewer), Cecil Hemley ($500, narrative), Lyric Poetry Award ($500), Lucille Medwick ($500, prose poem), Alice Fay Di Castagnola ($1,000, 10 pages from a manuscript in progress), George Bogin ($500, 4–5 poems), Robert H. Winner ($2,500, 10 pages by a poet 40+ with no more than one full-length collection). One entry per award; Submittable only.
→ Details: https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/poetry-society-of-america-awards-2027 - Louise Louis/Emily F. Bourne Student Poetry Award 2027 (Poetry Society of America) – Fee: $5 per student – Deadline: December 15, 2026 (11:59pm EST). $5 per student; teachers or administrators can enter unlimited students for a single $20 fee. $250; judged by Erin Marie Lynch. One unpublished poem by a U.S. student in grades 9–12.
→ Details: https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/student-poetry-award-2027 - Anna Rabinowitz Award 2027 (Poetry Society of America) – Fee: $10 – Deadline: December 15, 2026. $10 entry fee (members and non-members). $1,000, split among collaborators if shared; judged by Kate Colby. Interdisciplinary work completed in 2026 that combines poetry with another art or discipline; digital work via Submittable, printed work by mail.
→ Details: https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/anna-rabinowitz-award-2027 - Poetry Society of America Book Awards 2027 (Norma Farber First Book Award and William Carlos Williams Award) – Fee: $20 per book – Deadline: December 15, 2026 (postmark; opened October 1). $20 per book; two copies by USPS; authors or publishers can submit. $500 each. Books published in 2026 by living U.S. residents or citizens: Farber is for a first book (judged by Eugenia Leigh); Williams is for a small-press, nonprofit or university-press book (judged by James Allen Hall). No chapbooks or translations; a book can’t go to both.
→ Details: https://poetrysociety.org/awards/annual-awards/poetry-society-of-america-book-award-2027 - Four Quartets Prize 2027 (Poetry Society of America) – No Fee – Deadline: December 15, 2026 (postmark). No submission fee. $20,000 to the winner; finalists get $1,000 each; judges Dana Levin, Sally Wen Mao and John Murillo. A unified, complete sequence of poems (14+ pages) published in the U.S. in 2026 in a journal, chapbook or book; mail it with the entry form and a one-paragraph statement.
→ Details: https://poetrysociety.org/awards/four-quartets-prize/four-quartets-prize-2027 - 2027 Poetry Chapbook Contest (Center for Book Arts) – Fee: $30 – Deadline: December 15, 2026. $30 fee. A $500 honorarium + a letterpress limited edition of 100 chapbooks (10 copies to the winner) + a $500 reading stipend + a week-long Millay Arts residency stay; runners-up get broadsides. Winner chosen by a guest judge in May 2027.
→ Submit here: https://centerforbookarts.submittable.com/submit - Wilder Series Poetry Book Prize (Two Sylvias Press) – Fee: $24 – Deadline: December 15, 2026. $24 reading fee (limited hardship waivers). $1,000 + publication + 20 author copies; all manuscripts considered for publication. Women over 50 (born on or before December 31, 1976; trans women, genderqueer and female-identified non-binary poets welcome); 48–75 pages recommended; by email.
→ Details: https://www.twosylviaspress.com/wilder-series-poetry-book-prize.html - Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest – Fee: $10 – Deadline: December 15, 2026 (opened September 15). $10 fee (the 100 free slots are used up). $250 + publication + 20 author copies. Any genre, so poetry chapbooks qualify, 15–50 pages; open to writers with no full-length book over 50 pages (self-published counts); by email.
→ Details: https://eggtootheditions.wordpress.com/home/contest-guidelines/ - Charles Causley International Poetry Competition 2026 (The Charles Causley Trust) – Fee: £8 – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (midnight UK time). £8 first poem, £5 each additional (sterling). 1st £1,000 + a week-long residency at Cyprus Well (Causley’s home in Launceston), 2nd £200, 3rd £100, plus festival passes; judged by Rowan Williams. Theme: “Heritage”; unpublished poems, 40 lines max; open internationally.
→ Details: https://causleytrust.org/charles-causley-international-poetry-competition/ - The Moth Poetry Prize 2026 (The Moth) – Fee: €17 per poem – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (time not stated on page). €17 per poem. 1st €6,000, three runners-up €1,000 each, eight commended €250 each; shortlisted poems appear in the Irish Times online; judged by Diane Seuss. Open to anyone 16+; unpublished poems, no line limit.
→ Details: https://www.themothmagazine.com/directory/moth-poetry-prize - 2026 International Poetry Competition (Society of Classical Poets) – Fee: $20 per poem – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (11:59pm EST; opened September 1). $20 per poem (up to five). $2,000 + publication on the Society’s site and in its Journal. One poem per entry, max 108 lines; must use meter (rhyme encouraged); written in 2026; previously published poems OK.
→ Details: https://www.classicalpoets.org/the-2026-society-of-classical-poets-international-poetry-competition/ - 2026 International High School Poetry Competition (Society of Classical Poets) – Fee: $10 – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (11:59pm EST). $10 fee. $250 + publication. High school students; one metered poem of 50 lines or fewer.
→ Details: https://www.classicalpoets.org/the-2026-scp-international-high-school-poetry-competition/ - 2027 Plentitudes Prizes: Poetry (The Plentitudes) – Fee: $20 – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (11:59pm ET; opened October 15). $20 per entry. 1st $1,000, 2nd $300, 3rd $200, with publication in the Spring 2027 issue; poetry judged by erica kaufman. Up to 3 poems, 10 pages max, in one file; via Submittable or Duotrope.
→ Details: https://www.theplentitudes.com/prizes - 2027 Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest (WyoPoets) – Fee: $3 per poem – Deadline: postmarked by December 31, 2026 (mail entries; opened October 1). $3 per poem (up to 20 poems; checks to WyoPoets). 1st $100, 2nd $50, 3rd $30, up to five honorable mentions; winners are invited to read in Casper, WY in April 2027. Unpublished poems in English, any subject, one page each; simultaneous submissions OK.
→ Details: https://www.wyopoets.org/shea-contest.html - The Dorset Prize (Tupelo Press) – Fee: $30 – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (postmarked or certified by Subfolio by midnight EST; opened October 1). $30 reading fee. $3,000 + a two-week residency in Port Angeles, WA + publication by Tupelo Press + 25 copies + national distribution; final judge Allison Benis White. Unpublished full-length collection (about 48–88 pages suggested); open to anyone writing in English; no translations.
→ Details: https://tupelopress.org/the-dorset-prize-for-poetry - Hollis Summers Poetry Prize (Ohio University Press) – Fee: $30 – Deadline: December 31, 2026 (open since April 1). $30 entry fee. $1,000 + publication by Ohio University Press the following year. Unpublished collections of 60–95 pages by a single author; no translations. Final judge for 2027: George David Clark.
→ Details: https://www.ohioswallow.com/poetry-prize/ - Prose & Poetry Chapbook Contest (Action, Spectacle) – Fee: $25 – Deadline: December 31, 2026. $25 submission fee. $1,000 + publication + 25 author copies. 20–32 pages of poetry or prose, one poem per page; individual pieces may be previously published, but the manuscript can’t be.
→ Submit here: https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit/29925/poetry-prose-chapbook-contest - 2027 Apogee Poetry Chapbook Award (April Gloaming Publishing) – Fee: $20 – Deadline: December 31, 2026. $20 entry fee. Chapbook publication in 2028 with worldwide distribution and royalties (no cash prize stated on page). 25–50 poems or 25–50 pages; read the press’s About page first (Southern focus).
→ Details: https://aprilgloaming.com/awards/
Journals & Open Calls Closing in December 2026
- Sundog Lit, Fall General Submissions – No Fee (first 300 submissions) – Open October 1–December 1, 2026. The first 300 submissions in each reading period are free. $50 per accepted piece on publication. General poetry submissions (check the Submittable form for the per-submission poem limit).
→ Details: https://sundoglit.com/submissions/ - Grub Street (Towson University), Volume 76 – No Fee – Open until December 15, 2026 (rolling review). No entry fee (none listed on its Submittable form, rechecked Oct 19). Payment not stated on page. Up to five unpublished poems, one poem per file, with identifying information removed.
→ Submit here: https://grubstreet.submittable.com/submit - Arc Poetry Magazine, Fall General Submissions – Fee: $2 per poem for U.S. poets (Canadian: No Fee) – Open October 1–December 31, 2026. Free for Canadian poets; U.S.-based poets pay $2 per poem (waivers on request). Arc pays $50 per page. Previously unpublished poetry in English or translations into English, any subject or form.
→ Details: https://arcpoetry.ca/resources/general-submissions/
Quick Submission Tips for December 2026
- December 1 and December 15 are the pile-ups. Fiddlehead, Sillerman, Neville Dawes, Writer’s Digest and AgArts close on the 1st, and all five PSA awards, Center for Book Arts, Wilder and Eggtooth close on the 15th.
- December 31 lands on New Year’s Eve. Ten contests close that day, including Moth, Causley, Dorset and Plentitudes. Submit by the 30th.
- Watch the time zones. Newcastle closes at 8pm Australian Eastern time (that’s early morning December 6 in the U.S.), Mslexia at 23:59 GMT, Causley at UK midnight, and PSA, SCP and Dorset on Eastern time.
- Postmark deadlines (PSA Book Awards, Four Quartets, the Nossrat Yassini book copies and the Shea contest) mean mailing before the holiday post slows down.
- Some calls are free: Sillerman, Neville Dawes, Four Quartets, every PSA annual award for members, Sundog’s first 300, and Arc for Canadian poets.
- Several prizes are restricted: Newcastle (Australians), Mslexia (women), Wilder (women over 50), Sillerman (African poets), Neville Dawes (Caribbean poets), PSA Student (U.S. grades 9–12), SCP (metered verse only). Check eligibility before you pay.