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2026 RockPaperPoem Poetry Prize

Grand Prize – $300

Two Runners-Up – $150 each

Entry Fee:  $10 for up to three poems.

Eligibility:  Open to anyone 18 years of age and older writing in English, from anywhere in the world. Contributors to any previous issue of RockPaperPoem are also eligible.

Guidelines:

1. Send 1-3 of your best, previously unpublished poems. Poems published on a blog or social media are not eligible. No theme; any subject is welcome; maximum two pages per poem.
2. Entries must be submitted through Submittable.
3. Multiple submissions are allowed.
4. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately through Submittable if a poem has been accepted elsewhere.
5. Contest is open Friday, April 3 through midnight (CT) Friday, June 5, 2025. Winners will be announced in July.
6. All submissions will be considered for publication and will receive a response regardless of prize status.
7. No identifying personal or contact information should appear on any poem or file.
8. Once submitted, poems cannot be revised, unless requested by RockPaperPoem editors.
9. By submitting, you agree to receive any cash prize electronically via PayPal or Zelle if selected as a winner.
10. Initial review of submissions will be done by RockPaperPoem editors. Approximately 15-20 finalists will be sent as blind submissions to the Contest Judge, who will select Grand Prize and two Runner-Up Prize poems. Prize poems will appear in the next issue of RockPaperPoem.
11. Relatives, friends, current and former students, and others with a close relationship with the contest judge are not eligible to enter.
12. Entry fees are not refundable.

Terms and Conditions:

1. If selected as a winner, you grant RockPaperPoem First North American Serial and First Electronic Rights to your submitted work. All rights revert to you after publication.
2. You also confirm that your submission is solely your own, original, unpublished writing, and that no part of your submission has been generated by any AI content generator.
3. If you re-publish any accepted work at a later date, you agree to credit RockPaperPoem as the original place of publication.