This is Poetry Catalog’s calendar of poetry contests, book and chapbook prizes, and journal reading periods. Each month has its own page, listed in deadline order, and every entry is marked Fee or No Fee so free calls are easy to spot.
We check each listing against the publisher’s own guidelines, and we post each month about two weeks before it starts, so you have time to get a packet ready. Bookmark this page: it always points to this month and next.
Last updated: October 25, 2026
This month: October 2026
Poetry Submission Deadlines October 2026: the calls still open through October 31.
Next month: November 2026
Poetry Submission Deadlines November 2026: 32 contests and open calls, including Yale Series of Younger Poets, BOA’s A. Poulin, Jr. Prize, the Georgia Poetry Prize, Nightboat, and Beloit’s Chad Walsh Chapbook Series. November 15 and November 30 are the busiest days.
No-fee picks for November
- PJI Editor’s Prize for BIPOC Writers (Fordham University Press): No Fee, deadline November 15. $1,000 plus publication.
- CLOCKHOUSE, Volume 14: No Fee, deadline November 15.
- Free the Verse, Issue 20 (“Good Bones”): No Fee, deadline November 25. $10 per published poem.
- Baltimore Review: No Fee, open reading period through November 30. $75 per accepted work.
Details and links for each are on the November 2026 page.
Coming soon: December 2026
The December 2026 page goes up around November 15. It covers the Poetry Society of America’s annual awards, the Four Quartets Prize, The Moth Poetry Prize, Mslexia’s women’s competitions, and Tupelo’s Dorset Prize.
Past months
Past pages stay up for reference, but their deadlines have closed. Many contests run every year at about the same time, so last year’s page can help you plan for next year.
How to use these pages
- Start with the deadline, then read the guidelines. Each listing links to the publisher’s own page. Fees, page counts, and eligibility rules change, so the publisher’s page always wins.
- Check the time zone. Contests close on Eastern, Pacific, UK, Irish, or Australian time. Midnight in London is early evening in New York.
- Filter by Fee / No Fee. If you’re on a budget, search the page for “No Fee.” Reading-fee waivers and free windows are noted where the publisher offers them.
- Track what you send. Keep a simple list of the title, venue, date, fee, and confirmation number so you can withdraw a poem quickly if it’s accepted elsewhere.
Get the deadlines in your inbox
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Want to share your own work? Poetry Catalog’s general submissions are always free and always open.