Full Submission Guidelines
POET OF THE WEEK (Pay: $77)
ALWAYS OPEN: 2-Week Fast Response (Fee: $10)
FREE READING PERIODS:
Winter: January 15-31 (Response in April) ✦ Summer: July 15-31 (Response in October)
POEM OF THE MONTH (Pay: $33)
First week of every month with a different theme/form ✦ Free to enter.
ONLY POEMS DAILY (Pay: $22) | CLOSED for now
We're currently reading for three categories: Short Poems, Ekphrasis, and Poets Howl. ✦ Free to enter.
$5000 POET OF THE YEAR PRIZE ✦ March 1 - April 30
Winner: $3000 ✦ x4 Finalists: $500 each
$2000 BOB HICOK FELLOWSHIP FOR POETS ✦ June 1 - August 30
Award: $1000 Stipend + $1000 in Workshop Credits + lifetime ONLY POEMS "Friend" Membership
x 4 Finalists: $200 in Workshop Credits + 1-year ONLY POEMS "Friend" Membership
$3500 LEONARD COHEN POETRY PRIZE ✦ September 21 - November 7
Winner: $1000 ✦ x10 Finalists: $250 each
Send us up to 10 pages of poetry.
We only accept previously uncurated work. This means that yes — you can submit poems that have previously appeared across social media, blog posts, Discord channels, scribbled on your foggy bathroom mirror, etc. But if a poem has been published in a magazine or anthology edited by someone who’s not your mom, then no.
We encourage simultaneous submissions. Feel free to submit your work to all the wonderful places you think will be a good home for your poems. Do not withdraw your poems if they get accepted elsewhere — if we like your work, we’ll find a way to work with you.
If we have previously declined your submission, you can submit again whenever (we get it, we're unhinged poets too lol).
Though our general response time is 3-4 months, in this category we'll respond within 2 weeks. Sometimes, if we are considering your work for publication, this might take 3 weeks in total. We might also email you separately in this event to request more poems.
We offer $77 to all our published poets. This is per contribution and not per piece.
This category is ONLY for published poems appearing in online or print magazines in 2025.
Unpublished work or poems published prior to 2025 will be rejected unread.
The best poetry in the world isn’t just buried in books and drawers (I mean, sure, it’s there also, but like, not just there) – it’s also in the pages of lit mags alive and being printed right now! We want to recognize that. The only authority we purport to have is being people who love to read good poems.
Selected poems will be published on ONLY POEMS DAILY, our brand new Substack, as part of our "Best New Poems" feature.
Submissions are free. At the moment, we do not pay for reprints.
Send us ONE POEM only and indicate in the document where it was previously published and when (if possible, please provide a link to original publication).
There's an optional $5 Tip Jar. As a fully volunteer-run publication, we’re always grateful for your support.
If you’d like insight into your work, we offer editorial feedback for a fee.
You may have one active submission in the “Best New Poems” category at a time. Once you’ve received a response, you’re welcome to submit again.
You’re free to submit to other categories alongside this one.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted elsewhere.
You'll hear back within three months.