$5000 POET OF THE YEAR PRIZE
$5000 x 1 Winner
$500 x 4 Finalists
Submission Period: March 1-May 1
Results Announced: July
Winners Published: August
ETHOS
Indie lit is full of award-winning poems while awards for poets are reserved mostly for their books. We want to publish poets who make a home in our hearts with their voices and never leave. That’s why this poetry award is not for the single best poem but rather for the poet whose body of work we feel is or will be full of one award-winning poem after another.
Our Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a year-long membership to Chill Subs Best, and a lifetime membership to ONLY POEMS.
4 Finalists will receive $500 each and a year-long membership to Chill Subs Best and ONLY POEMS.
As we do with our Poet of the Week series, we will publish 3-10 poems by all five selected poets alongside extensive interviews. Publication will be between August-September of the same year.
Our Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a year-long membership to Chill Subs Best, and a lifetime membership to ONLY POEMS.
4 Finalists will receive $500 each and a year-long membership to Chill Subs Best and ONLY POEMS.
As we do with our Poet of the Week series, we will publish 3-10 poems by all five selected poets alongside extensive interviews. Publication will be between August-September of the same year.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Your submission must be between 3-10 pages, with each poem starting on a new page.
- Open to anyone writing in English, anywhere in the world (with a special encouragement to poets submitting from outside North America).
- Poems must be previously unpublished at the time of submission. Self-published pieces (blogs, social media, personal sites) are welcome, but work published in journals, anthologies, or books is not eligible.
- We encourage simultaneous submissions. Once you’ve submitted, you don’t need to withdraw your poems. Even if all the poems in your packet get accepted elsewhere, that’s fine (and so freakin’ cool!). You will not be disqualified for the Poet of the Year Award — if we are interested in your work, we will find a way to work with you.
- We do accept multiple submissions, but each submission must come with the reading fee. Though we don’t encourage over-submitting, if you have two or three distinct sets of poems you’d like us to consider, we welcome them.
- We love reading cover letters. You’re welcome to share your love for poetry, why you write, your publication history, etc. These are read only after the decisions are made and do not influence the outcome. Please make sure that the document of your poems is stripped of any biographical information—use the cover letter field on Submittable for this.
- All submissions will be considered for general publication in our Poet of the Week series.
- Submission fee: $18
- Each submission comes with a one-month Best membership to Chill Subs (thanks to their Contest Transparency Partnership). We want every poet who submits to receive more than just a contest entry. If the fee is a barrier, please refer to our waiver policy.
- Judging process: Each submission is read by at least 3 readers. The ones that move to the next round are read by 5 more readers. Longlist is read by our full team of 35+ readers and Editors. Shortlist is discussed by the Editors. Final decisions for the winner & finalists are made by the Editor-in-Chief, Karan Kapoor.
- Judging criteria: In evaluating submissions, we look for originality, emotional intensity, musicality of language, and—since this prize recognizes a body of work—range, cohesion, and the ways poems speak to one another across a packet.
- Do not include your name or identifying information in the document or the title of your submission.
- Timeline: We respond to all submissions by the end of this July. Winners, Finalists, & Honorable Mentions are announced and published in August-September.
- Read our statement on Transparency & Fairness here.