October 202 Deadlines: 10 Contests and Magazines with Deadlines This Month
Have you been leafing through your poems, thinking some of them are ready to be published? Consider sending your poems out to these contests and publications. Several of them come with added bonuses for submitting your work, like a free copy of a magazine, for example. And remember, rejection is part of the process toward eventual acceptance and publication. As always, submit poetry for free to our New Voices. This list is powered by the deadline service Literistic.
Submit poems on any theme, up to 250 lines each. The Tom Howard Prize of $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre and the Margaret Reid Prize of $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style will be awarded. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any style). The top 12 entries will be published online, and two-year gift certificates to Duotrope will be awarded to the top two winners. You may submit published or unpublished work. Each submission may contain up to three poems. You may make multiple submissions. 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.
Deadline: October 1 // Fee
With an award of $1,000 for the winning poem, the Edwin Markham Prize honors outstanding works of poetry. Reed Magazine‘s taste is eclectic and celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet. Writers may submit up to five poems per submission. The contest reading fee includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine.
Deadline: October 1 // No Fee
Gordon Square Review welcomes works of translation, simultaneous submissions, and previously published work no longer available in print or online. Only include one poem in your submission. Writers accepted for publication receive a $25 honorarium. As a publication of Literary Cleveland, Gordon Square Review is proud to support Northeast Ohio writers. Please make a note in your submission if you currently live in Northeast Ohio (including the Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Youngstown, Kent, or Lorain/Elyria/Oberlin areas) or if you have a strong tie to Northeast Ohio as a past resident, student, etc. Accepted poems will appear in the November 15 issue.
Deadline: October 1 // No Fee
The Missouri Review invites entries for the 2025 Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize. Winners in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction receive $5,000 plus publication in the Spring 2026 issue of TMR. Winners receive publication and promotion in addition to the cash prize. Create a submission of poems between 6 to 12 pages in length. Each entrant receives a one-year subscription to the Missouri Review in digital format and a digital copy of the latest title in our imprint, Missouri Review Books, a short story anthology by former contributors. Previous Editors’ Prize finalists are welcome to enter again.
Deadline: October 1 // Fee
Navy Pen Issue V
The theme of this issue is “noise.” This issue is interested in what gets heard, what is ignored, and who gets to decide the difference. Navy Pen invites work about private noise and public noise, noise as avoidance or resistance, noise created by grief, desire, technology, memory, family, crowds, bodies, institutions, or the mind itself. Submit up to 5 poems per submission, each poem no longer than 3 pages. The Navy Pen editorial team will be providing brief personalized feedback for each submission.
Deadline: October 10 // No Fee
phoebe is one of the oldest graduate-run literary magazines in the U.S., and is housed and published by George Mason University’s Office of Student Media. phoebe purchases First North American serial rights and pays $30 per accepted poem. All contributors to the print issue also receive one copy of the journal upon publication. phoebe prides itself on supporting up-and-coming writers, whose style, form, voice, and subject matter demonstrate a vigorous appeal to the senses, intellect, and emotions of readers. They insist on openness, which means welcoming both experimental and conventional poetry, and they insist on being entertained, which means the work must hold one’s attention.
Deadline: October 15 // Fee
This prize honors Steve Kowit’s contributions to American poetry since 2016. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be invited to read at the annual awards reception in April for National Poetry Month at the San Diego Central Library. First prize is $1,000, second prize is $250, and third prize is $100. Winning and Honorable Mention poems will be published in the San Diego Poetry Annual in March. Submit one (1) previously unpublished poem (in English) and a 50-word biography. Please do not submit poems that imitate Steve Kowit’s work. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted.
Deadline: October 15 // Fee
A prize of $1,500, royalty contract, and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually to the winner for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not yet published a full-length collection. A winner and 10 finalists to be included in the New Women’s Voices chapbook series. The final judge for this competition is Molly Fisk. Submit a manuscript of 16 to 34 pages of poetry plus bio, title page, and acknowledgments. Hybrid manuscripts are accepted in addition to traditional poetry manuscripts: prose poetry or formal verse. Color or black/white art may be included with the manuscript in accordance with the page limit.
Deadline: October 15 // Fee
Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts, seeks high quality submissions from both emerging and established writers. They want to see your best work, regardless of form, style, or subject matter. Past issues have included such writers as Peter Ho Davies, Bob Hicok, and Maggie Smith. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as Grist is immediately notified if the piece has been accepted elsewhere. Previously published work will not be considered, work will not be considered from those currently or recently affiliated with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Submit 3-5 poems. Submissions will be considered for publication in either the print issue or online. Payment is $10 per poem plus a contributor copy.
Deadline: October 31 // Fee
Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished (including self-published works) original collection of poetry. Awarded collection is selected through an annual competition which is open to all poets. This year’s final judge will be Brenda Cárdenas. Submit a manuscript with a 48 page minimum, 96 page maximum, with identifying information on the cover sheet only.
Deadline: October 31 // Fee
