Announcing the inaugural
ONLY POEMS PRIZE
$3000
Poet of the Year
$300 X 2 Runner-Ups
March 1st—April 30th
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.
The entry fee we have set is $15 which will include a comped 2-month Substack subscription (worth $14). Our hope is that every single poet who submits to the ONLY POEMS Prize receives more than just a contest entry. If you already have a paid subscription, we’ll add on two complimentary months to that). So, technically you’re paying $1 for the contest
Our Poet of the Year will receive $3000 and a lifetime comped subscription to the ONLY POEMS Substack.
2 Runner-ups will receive $300 each and 3 year comped subscription.
All honorable mentions will receive a one year comped subscription.
As we do with our Poet of the Week series, we will publish 3-10 poems of all 3 winners alongside an extensive interview in July.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Your submission must be between 5-10 pages.
Submissions are open internationally to any poet writing in English.
The poems must have been previously unpublished at the time of submission.
Submit all your poems in a single document (.doc or .pdf). Begin each poem on a new page.
Do not include your name or identifying information in the document or the title of your submission.
We encourage simultaneous submissions. Once you’ve submitted, you are not required to withdraw any poems. Even if all the poems in your submitted packet get published, that’s fine (and so freakin’ cool!). You will not be ineligible for the ONLY POEMS PRIZE—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 do not encourage these, sometimes you might have two or three different sets of poems you’d like to try for an award and we welcome those.
All submissions will be considered for general publication for our Poet of the Week category.
$15 submission fee includes a two-month premium subscription to our Substack.
EDITORIAL FEEDBACK
We want to provide poets the opportunity to get comprehensive feedback on their work. We understand how hard it can be to receive affordable, quality feedback. If you’d like, you’re welcome to use one of these options when making your submission.
$50: Entry + Two detailed paragraphs of strengths and weaknesses of your packet
$150: Entry + Two detailed paragraphs of strengths and weaknesses + Extensive line edits
(25 slots available for each category — first come first serve)