How to Enter a Poetry Competition: A Beginner's Guide

A poetry competition gives your writing a destination. You choose a poem, follow a set of rules, and send it somewhere new readers might discover it. Some competitions offer prizes or publication. Others are simply an enjoyable way to write around a theme and take part in a community.

You do not need to have published a book, studied literature, or won anything before. The important part is finding a competition that welcomes your work and submitting it correctly. Here is how to do that, one step at a time.

1. Find a poetry competition that suits you

Start with the kind of poem you enjoy writing. If you like nature poetry, a seasonal competition might suit you. If you prefer writing about anything that comes to mind, look for a contest with an open theme.

You can find opportunities through poetry organizations, writing communities, schools, libraries, and literary magazines. The Young Poets Network recommends checking who runs a competition, whether the rules are clear, and what happens to your rights if you win.

Before choosing one, look for three things:

• A suitable audience. Is it for beginners, young poets, residents of a particular country, or everyone?
• A clear outcome. Will winners receive a prize, be published, or appear on a results page? A competition does not need a cash prize to be worth entering.
• A trustworthy organizer. Look for an identifiable organization, published rules, contact details, and past results where available.

Choose one or two opportunities that genuinely interest you. A good match is more useful than sending the same poem everywhere without checking the requirements.

2. Read the rules before writing your entry

Every poetry contest sets its own conditions. Reading them first can save you from polishing a poem that cannot be accepted.

Check the deadline and time zone, age and location requirements, theme, maximum number of entries, and poem length. Some contests count lines, while others use words or pages. Check whether the organizer wants a document, a form submission, or an email, and whether you should leave your name off the poem for anonymous judging.

For example, The Poetry Society's National Poetry Competition rules describe limits on poem length, original work, and anonymous entries. Those are rules for that particular contest, not a standard shared by every competition.

Also check the entry fee, any prizes, how results are decided, and whether entering gives the organizer permission to publish your work. If anything is unclear, ask the organizer before submitting.

3. Choose a poem that fits the theme

You can enter an existing poem if the rules allow it, or write something new. A theme is usually a starting point rather than a test of how many times you can mention a particular word.

Imagine a competition about winter. You could describe snowfall, but you could also write about a cold bus stop, a quiet house, or the first warm drink after a long walk. What matters is that the connection to the theme feels convincing.

If the competition has no set theme, choose a poem you believe works well on its own. Read it without an explanation beside it. Will someone unfamiliar with your story understand enough to feel or imagine something?

You do not have to force a rhyme scheme or use difficult words to make your entry sound more poetic. Clear, memorable writing is a stronger starting point.

4. Edit your poem and check its presentation

Put the poem aside for a little while, then return to it with fresh eyes. Read it aloud. Listen for lines that sound awkward, phrases that repeat an idea, and places where the rhythm stops unexpectedly.

Look carefully at the opening and ending. Does the first line make you curious? Does the final line leave the reader with an image, thought, or feeling worth remembering? Remove anything that explains what the poem already shows.

Then check the practical details. Keep stanza breaks where you intended them, correct spelling mistakes, and confirm that the poem stays within the entry limit. If the contest requires anonymous judging, remove your name and other identifying details from the poem itself. Follow its requested file format rather than guessing.

If you are entering a contest that prohibits AI-generated writing, make sure your poem follows that rule too. Different organizers set different policies.

5. Submit your poem and keep a record

Follow the organizer's entry instructions in order. You might need to create an account, complete a form, upload a file, or pay an entry fee. Review the final version before pressing submit. Some competitions do not allow changes afterward.

Keep a copy of the poem and the submission confirmation. Note the contest name, poem title, closing date, expected results date, and any conditions about submitting the same poem elsewhere.

Try not to leave everything until the last minute. A missed deadline or broken upload is a frustrating way for a good poem to go unread.

How to enter a poetry competition on Poetry Now

When we built Poetry Now, we wanted poets to have more ways to take part than simply publishing a poem and moving on. Competitions give writers a shared prompt and give readers a chance to discover work they might otherwise miss.

Our Poetry Competitions page separates contests into open, upcoming, and past competitions. If nothing is accepting entries, you can still explore earlier themes and results while looking out for the next opportunity.

When a competition is open, the process is straightforward:

1. Open its page and read the theme, eligibility requirements, dates, and any prize information.
2. Prepare an original poem that meets those requirements.
3. Submit your entry while submissions are open, following the instructions on that competition page.
4. Return during the voting period to read other entries and see how the community responds.

In Poetry Now's voting system, signed-in readers can vote for up to three different poems, but not their own entry. Results are published after voting closes, and tied poems share a placing. This is a community-voting format, so it is different from competitions decided by a panel of judges.

We encourage you to read the other poems even if you enter yourself. Seeing how several writers respond to one theme is part of what makes a poetry competition interesting.

Can you enter a poem you've already published online?

Sometimes, but never assume so. Many competitions ask for unpublished work. A poem posted on your blog, social media, or a poetry website may count as previously published, even if you have not earned money from it. The Poetry Society's competition FAQ explicitly treats poems shared on personal websites and social media as published.

Other contests may accept previously published poems. Check the exact rules before entering. If you hope to submit a poem to a competition that requires unpublished work, it is safest to keep it private until you know what is allowed. Deleting a post later does not necessarily restore its unpublished status.

Publishing on Poetry Now does not mean giving up ownership of your poem. Our Terms of Service explain that writers retain ownership while granting the platform a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license for uses connected with operating and promoting Poetry Now. Ownership and eligibility for another competition are separate questions, so check both.

What happens after you enter?

Some organizers announce a shortlist before choosing winners. Others publish the results at once. Community competitions may use votes, while literary competitions may rely on judges. The rules should tell you how the decision is made and when to expect news.

If your poem is selected, read any message carefully before agreeing to publication or prize conditions. If it is not selected, you can still use what you learned about editing, deadlines, and submission requirements next time.

It is worth remembering that a competition measures how a particular group of readers or judges responds to a particular set of poems. It cannot decide whether you should keep writing.

Your first poetry competition checklist

Before submitting, make sure you can answer yes to each question:

• Am I eligible to enter, and is the competition still open?
• Does my poem follow the theme and length limit?
• Is my poem original and allowed under the publication and AI rules?
• Have I followed the formatting and anonymity requirements?
• Do I understand any fee, prize conditions, and rights I am granting?
• Have I saved the final poem and checked the submission instructions?

That's all you need for a thoughtful first entry. Find a contest that interests you, give your poem a careful final read, and send it in.

If you want to see how a community poetry contest works, visit Poetry Now Competitions. You can explore previous entries and results, and check for an open competition when you're ready to take part.