Past Awards
You can find our current and future award opportunities here.
The 2021 Frontier OPEN
Closed July 18, 2021
In our pursuit to recognize today's best poets, we want to celebrate one outstanding piece of poetry, OPEN to all poets, with a $5000 award and publication.
Ten finalists will also receive $100 each and all winners will earn publication with Frontier Poetry. The Frontier staff will select the winners and finalists. The winners and finalists will be announced in the Fall of 2021.
While we primarily serve as a platform for new writers, this prize is meant to support and elevate the poetry community on the whole. We look forward to offering this annual prize where emerging and established poets are considered in equal measure.
Guidelines:
- Submissions are open to all poets writing in English.
- Unpublished poems only.
- We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
- No more than ONE poem per submission. There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject.
- Multiple submissions are allowed, but each new poem requires a new submission and fee.
- International submissions are welcome.
2021 WINNER of the $5000 Prize
TBD
2021 Finalists
TBD
The 2021 Frontier Digital Chapbook Contest
Closed May 16, 2021
Chapbooks are a huge milestone for poets, and we’re always looking forward to the Frontier Digital Chapbook Contest—where we get to find that one electric bundle of poems that rocks our world in less than 30 pages. We welcome manuscripts that need some polishing as our editors are always looking forward to working with the authors to make the book the best it can be for publication in 2021. The winner of the FDCC will receive $2000 and publication of the free, downloadable chapbook on Frontier, and 50 physical author copies to share and sell. Most exciting of all: the chapbook will also be distributed to tens of thousands of readers, editors, agents, and magazines through our newsletter. Don’t underestimate the power of this reach to empower your career as a poet.
You can read our 2018 Winner, Xiao Yue Shan's How Often I Have Chosen Love, and our 2019 Winner, Shadow Black by Naima Tokunow, was selected by Jericho Brown! Currently, they have over 20,000 views / downloads combined.
In the Year of our Making & Unmaking by Frederick Speers was selected by Carl Phillips to be our winner in 2020!
Our guest judge Kazim Ali will select the winner this year from ten finalists selected by our editorial team. Born in the United Kingdom, Kazim has lived transnationally in the United States, Canada, India, France, and the Middle East. He is currently a Professor of Literature at the University of California, San Diego. His newest books are a volume of three long poems entitled The Voice of Sheila Chandra and a memoir of his Canadian childhood, Northern Light.
Guidelines
- Contest is open for international poets, but the poems must be in English.
- Manuscript should be 15-30 pages (not including front/back-matter.)
- Manuscript should be on the whole unpublished, although individual poems can be previously published.
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please notify us if the chapbook is accepted elsewhere.
- Multiple submissions are allowed, but each submitted chapbook will have the $20 fee.
- Do not include bio information in the manuscript itself.
2020 WINNER
TBD
2020 Finalists
TBD
The 2021 New Voices Contest
Closed February 15, 2021
The new year is here! We want to open up 2021 with a great opportunity for an up-and-coming poet, judged by Donika Kelly. This New Voices Contest will offer $3000 to the author of the judge's favorite poem. 2nd and 3rd place will receive $300 and $200 respectively. We're looking to shine a light on newer poets—only authors with no more than two full length collection currently published may submit.
Send us all that hot urge and energy saved up over the ramshackle year of 2020—send us your best. We also warmly encourage poets of all backgrounds, identities and ethnicities to submit. You're welcome here.
Donika Kelly is the author of The Renunciations and Bestiary, winner of the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the 2017 Hurston/Wright Award for poetry, and the 2018 Kate Tufts Discovery Award. She teaches at the University of Iowa. The Renunciations will be published in May 2021 by Graywolf Press. You can find more info on the collection here. "Like some sort of oracle, Kelly offers us the words to create our own destinies.”—Oprah.com
Guidelines
- Submissions are open to emerging poets only. No more than two full length collection published by time of submission.
- Unpublished poems only.
- We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
- No more than three poems per submission. There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject.
- Multiple submissions are allowed, but each new submission requires a new fee.
- Please include a brief cover letter with your professional bio and a brief introduction.
- International submissions are welcome.
2021 WINNER
2021 Runner Ups
2021 Finalists
Adedayo Agarau
Bola Opaleke
Erin McCoy
féi hernandez
Grace Wagner
Josephine Blair
Kate Arden
Stephanie Chang
The 2020 Frontier OPEN
Closed November 15, 2020
2020 WINNER
Kayleb Rae Candrilli, "A Marble Run for Another End-of-Days"
2020 Finalists
Kim Addonizio, "Cracked Logic"
Elizabeth Shvarts, "Queer American"
Itiola Jones, "Original Sin"
Taylor Byas, "An So You Want a Poem"
Taneum Bambrick, "Poem for Ellensburg"
Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach, "Letter to My Son"
Joshua Nguyen, "Hoarder"
Remi Recchia, "Walking with My Lover to Bury Our Dead Fish"
Sabrina San Miguel, "Teaching your Homegirl about the Root Chakra"
The 2020 Frontier Award for New Poets
Closed September 20, 2020
We're excited to host our 2020 Frontier Award for New Poets! This award is for authors with no more than one full length collection at the time of submission.
A distinguished panel of emerging poets will guest judge the contest: Paige Lewis, Camonghne Felix, and Jake Skeets.
Frontier Poetry staff will select the top ten submissions, and the winning poem and honorable mentions will be selected by the panel of judges, to be announced in the fall. The winning poet will be awarded $3000 and publication on Frontier Poetry. Second and third place will win $300 & $200 respectively, as well as publication. The top ten finalists will also be recognized.
We do not hold preference for any particular style or topic—we simply seek the best poem we can find. Send us work that is blister, that is color, that strikes hot the urge to live and be. We strongly invite poets from all communities and backgrounds. You, & your words, are welcome here.
Guidelines
- Submissions are open to new and emerging writers (poets with no more than one full-length published works forthcoming at the time of submission).
- Unpublished poems only.
- We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
- No more than 3 poems (5 pages) per submission. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
- Multiple submissions are allowed.
- International submissions are welcome.
2020 WINNER
2020 Runner Ups
Samantha Samakande, "ON THE THING I CANNOT EXPLAIN TO MY HUSBAND"
Nome Emeka Patrick, "The Body Walks Through Grief Toward God"
2020 Finalists
Sahar Muradi
Paola Liendo
Darius Simpson
Justin Jannise
Marvin Hodges
Iloh Onyekachi
Mag Gabbert
The 2020 Industry Prize
Closed July 19, 2020
Welcome to the 2020 Frontier Industry Prize! For this one, we want to award one poem the $3000 prize—selected by a panel of judges representing different unique pillars of our publishing industry.
Carmen Giménez Smith is the Co-Director of the fabulous community organization, Cantomundo; Daniel Slager is the publisher of the incredible dream press, Milkweed Editions; and Peter LaBerge is the wonderfully talented founder and editor of The Adroit Journal, where many of your favorite new poets find their first footing. The panel of these three judges will collaborate to select a single winning poem from a group of finalists for the $3000 prize and publication on Frontier. Our Frontier team will select the ten finalists—we're excited to get to put some amazing poets in front of these amazing professionals.
We're excited as well to reward our 2nd and 3rd place poems, selected by the judges, with $200 / $100 respectively and with publication on Frontier Poetry. The winner and finalists will be announced Fall 2020.
Guidelines
- Submissions are open to emerging poets—submitters should have no more than two full-length collections out or forthcoming at the time of submission.
- Unpublished poems only.
- We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
- ONE poem per submission (due to overwhelming response, and for the sanity of our readers)
- There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject.
- Multiple submissions are allowed.
- International submissions are welcome.
2020 WINNER
2020 Runner Ups
2020 Finalists
Chelsea Bunn
Chelsea DesAutels
Jamila Osman
Marisa Tirado
Michelle Macfarlane
Michelle Peñaloza
Saúl Hernández
The 2020 Frontier Digital Chapbook Contest
Closed May 17, 2020
Guest judge: Carl Phillips.
2020 WINNER
Frederick Speers, In the Year of Our Making & Unmaking (Coming Spring 2021!)
2020 Finalists
Ajanae Dawkins, Heirs
Nicole A. Greaves, Conventicle
Erica Charis-Molling, How We Burn
Stephanie Yue Duhem, A Witch Named
Lupita Eyde-Tucker, How to Ride a Train in the Andes
Grace Wagner-ODaniel, Halcyon Days
J’Sun Howard, Black Effigy
Dujie Tahat, BALIKBAYAN
Noʻu Revilla, letters to the gut house
2020 Antioch-Fellowship Prize
Closed February 15, 2020
2020 WINNER
Momtaza Mehri
2020 Runner Ups
Madeleine Cravens
Joanna Ng
2020 Finalists
Despy Boutris
Jasmine L. Combs
Snigdha Koirala
Claire Kaminski
Michael Frazie
Theo LeGro
Nicholas Nichols
The 2019 Frontier OPEN
Closed November 15, 2019
2019 WINNER
2019 Finalists
Gail Entrekin
Xiao Yumi
Leyla Colpan
Jennifer Garfield
Jasmine Smith
C. Samuel Rees
Daniella Tootsie-Watson
Jed Myers
David Joez Villaverde
KT Herr
The 2019 Frontier Award for New Poets
Closed September 15, 2019
Guest judges: Ocean Vuong, Kaveh Akbar, and Eve L. Ewing.
2019 WINNER
2019 Runner Ups
“THE NAMING” by Alan Semerdjian
“Lot’s Wife” by Diamond Forde
2019 Finalists
Helli Fang
Bryan Byrdlong
Lauren Ubbing
Emily Khilfeh
Chelsea Wagenaar
Chloe Honum
Alycia Pirmohamed
The 2019 Industry Prize
Guest judges: Jeff Shotts—Executive Editor of Graywolf Press, Kwame Dawes—Editor-in-Chief of Prairie Schooner, and Sarah Gambito—Co-founder of Kundiman.
2019 WINNER
2019 Runner Ups
2019 Finalists
Christopher Louvet
Sadiqa de Meijer
Jerl Surratt
Threa Almontaser
Emily Lawson
Rachel Harkai
Samuel Rees
The 2019 Frontier Digital Chapbook Contest
Closed May 15, 2019
Guest judge: Jericho Brown.
2019 WINNER
2019 Runner Ups
in spite of years of silence by Ryan Jones
A Seven in Horses by Jeff Whitney
2019 Finalists
Adela Najarro
Isabella DeSendi
Kelly Weber
Kirk Schlueter
Makmak Faunlagui
Mark Wagenaar
Simon Shieh
2019 Antioch-Fellowship Prize
2019 WINNER
Cassie Garrison (read an interview about her experience at Antioch here)
2019 Finalists
Sarah Key
Genevieve Paiement
Esther Ra
Noel Quiñones
Leila Ortiz
William Evans
Fay Dillof
Trace Howard
DePass
Elisabet Velasquez
Mick Powell
Dujie Tahat
Kaja Lucas
David Joez Villaverde
2018 Frontier Open
2018 WINNER
2018 Runner Ups
“Expelling Venus” by Elizabeth Oxley
“Secret Hymn” by Sam Zafris
2018 Finalists
E.D. Watson
Jocelyn Williams
Korey Williams
Hillary Martin
K. Jagai
Oriana Ivy
2018 Frontier Award for New Poets
Guest judge: Victoria Chang.
2018 WINNER
2018 Runner Ups
“Heart postpartum” by Cara Waterfall
“Self-Portrait No. 5 (Phoenix and Lullabies)” by Cynthia Manick
2018 Finalists
Hannah King
Khaty Xiong
Jacob Nelson
Meghann Plunkett
Yaccaira Salvatierra
Monica Ong
Hilda Weiss
2018 Summer Poetry Award
2018 WINNER
2018 Runner Ups
“AFTER READING DJ KHALED...” by Leila Chatti
“Singularity” by Aurora Masum-Javed
2018 Finalists
Shavahn Dorris-Jefferson
Ying-Ying Zhang
Marlin Figgins
Karl Iglesias
Zilka Joseph
Tokorima Taihuringa
Samuel Wright Fairbanks
2018 Industry Prize
Guest judges: Don Share, Editor of Poetry; Nicole Sealey, Executive Director of Cave Canem; & Matthew Zapruder, Editor of Wave Books.
2018 WINNER
2018 Tied for Second Place
“Bosky Farm” by Gabriel Kruis
”Polyphagia” by Brian Tierney
2018 Finalists
Elizabeth Herron
Madhur Anand
Jasmine Reid
Carlos Gomez
Deborah Fried-Rubin
Inam Kang
Jessica Hincapie
2018 Digital Chapbook Contest
2018 WINNER
2018 Finalists
Catherine Strisik
Linette Reeman
Becky Boyle
Tanya Ko-Hong
Kristin Chang
Seema Yasmin
Nicole Stockburger
Simone Person
Seif-Eldeine Och
2017 Frontier Open
2017 WINNER
2017 Finalists
Chad Oness
Rachel Jorgensen
Jessica Turney
Chaun Ballard
Amanda Hawkins
Bola Opaleke
Mason Henderson
Mackenzie Whitehead-Bust
Ebony Chinn
Regina Marie
2017 Frontier Award for New Poets
Guest judge: Tyehimba Jess.
2017 WINNER
2017 Runner Ups
“Love poem with a knife” by Kara Jackson
“deciduous qween IV” by Matty Layne Glasgow
2017 Honorable Mentions
“Undone” by Brionne Janae
“the neighbor’s house” by Benjamin Hertwig
