Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Welcome to the 21st annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $9,000 in prizes.

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Ends on Sun, Oct 1, 2023 3:30 PM

Submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each. We will award the Tom Howard Prize of $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre, and the Margaret Reid Prize of $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $300 each (any style). The top 12 entries will be published online. Final judge: Michal ‘MJ’ Jones. This contest is proudly co-sponsored by Duotrope, which will award two-year gift certificates to the top two winners, a $100 value.

You may submit published or unpublished work. Each submission may contain up to three poems. You may make multiple submissions. Please omit your name from your entries. We prefer 12-point type or larger. Please avoid fancy, hard-to-read fonts. No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions).

For the purpose of the Margaret Reid Prize, a poem in a traditional style employs regular meter and/or rhyme, or is written in a recognized poetic form. This includes traditional Western forms such as ballads, sonnets, and blank verse, Asian forms such as tanka and haiku, and other traditional forms.

First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist.

Entry fee: $22 for each submission of 1-3 poems.

Co-Sponsor

Duotrope: Search for markets, track your submissions, and more

Judges

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Michal ‘MJ’ Jones

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Briana Grogan

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Dare Williams

Read Duotrope’s interview with Winning Writers editor Jendi Reiter about this contest

Tamara Panici
Elegy for Childhood Written in a Language I Did Not Yet Speak, Addressed to the God I Once Knew

See more past winners and remarks from our judges in our contest archives.

Please submit during April 15-September 30, 2023.

Prizes:

TOM HOWARD PRIZE: $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre
MARGARET REID PRIZE: $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style
The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $300 each (any style)
Top 12 entries published online
Enter via Submittable

Length limit: 250 lines maximum per poem. No restriction on age of author. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). Final judge: Michal ‘MJ’ Jones, assisted by Briana Grogan and Dare Williams.

First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist, then click the button below to submit. Read the winning entries from the 20th contest. The results of the 21st contest will be announced on April 15, 2024. Fee: $22 per submission (one submission may contain up to 3 poems). Enter as many submissions as you wish.

Click here for Participate | More Details

Official Site

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