The 2026 Frontier OPEN Winner and Finalists
We’re thrilled to congratulate Amanda Corbin, the winner of Frontier Poetry’s 2026 Frontier OPEN! Her poem “Parasitic Haibun,” was selected by our editorial team as the first place winner. Our reading team was over-joyed by the creativity, experimentation, and risk taking in this contest’s selections. Your poetry remains emblematic of Frontier‘s mission to platform work that voyages the unexplored edge of what language can do. As always, we are so grateful for the continued support of our submitters, readers, and friends.
Amanda Corbin has been awarded the first-place prize of $5,000. Find the full list of our winner and finalists below—we look forward to publishing their work throughout the months of September and October
Thank you to all who submitted, it was a pleasure to consider your work.
WINNER
Amanda Corbin
Parasitic Haibun
Amanda Nicole Corbin is an award-winning Ohio-based poet who has had her work published in Black Warrior Review, New Ohio Review, Notre Dame Review, The London Magazine, Door is a Jar, Palette Poetry, and more. She is the winner of the 2025 Mississippi Review Poetry contest where her work received a Pushcart Nomination. Other works of hers have been nominated for Best Microfiction 2024 & 2025. Her debut full-length collection, addiction is a sweet dark room, was published by Another New Calligraphy in 2024. You can find her playing Magic the Gathering or on Instagram and Threads @ancpoet.
The Finalists
Emily Tong
Akhim Cabey
Anja Oliver Schneider
Ed Gaudet
