Guidelines for the War Poetry ContestNow in its ninth year, this contest seeks today's best poems on the theme of war. We will award $5,000 in prizes. Click here to read winning entries from the past.
Submission Period
Entries accepted November 15, 2009-May 31, 2010 (postmark dates)This contest is not yet open, and the rules below may change. Please wait until November 15 or later to submit.
However, if you are here to complete an entry initiated before June 1, then you may continue. --> What to Submit
1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war. Their combined length should not exceed 500 lines. Contestants may enter once per year.Prizes
First Prize, $2,000 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com (over one million page views per year)
Second Prize, $1,200 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Third Prize, $600 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Twelve Honorable Mentions, $100 cash each and publication on WinningWriters.comEntry Fee
$15, payable to Winning Writers. We welcome both online submissions with payment by credit card and submissions by mail with payment by check or money order. We also accept PayPal. Your $15 fee is not per poem, but covers your complete submission of up to 3 poems. Please note: Generally entry fees are not refundable. However, if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance, please contact us within one year of your entry.Deadline
May 31, 2010. Your entry must be postmarked or submitted online by this date.Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poems online or by mail. No handwritten entries, please. Do not put your name or contact information on your poems, not even on the backs of pages. Provide your contact information on our online form, or on a separate cover sheet if submitting by mail. If your poem contains complex formatting, such as centered text or italic type, we recommend submitting by mail. Please make your entry easy to read — no illustrations, fancy fonts or decorative borders.How To Submit
Click here to submit online (credit card)
Click here to submit by mail (check or money order)
Click here to submit via PayPalAnnouncement of Winners
We are pleased to present the winners of our eighth contest here. The winners of our ninth contest will be announced on November 15, 2010.All Entrants Receive
All entrants to our War Poetry Contest receive immediate free access to our Poetry Contest Insider online database for three months, a $6.95 value. Search our profiles of over 750 poetry contests for the ones that fit you best. Current Poetry Contest Insider customers will have their subscriptions extended by three months.Your entry fee is a one-time charge. When your subscription to Poetry Contest Insider expires, you will receive an invitation to renew, but you are under no obligation to do so. Your decision will not affect your entry in any way.
--> Entries Must Be Original and Unpublished
Your entries must be original, written by you, unpublished (either in print or in an online journal), and not have received a monetary award or high honors from any other contest. Self-published work is not eligible. Exceptions: Poems posted to the web outside of online journals, such as to a bulletin board, email list, personal web page, blog, critique site or public forums are eligible for entry. Our goal is to recognize work that has not yet received honors or wide publication. Please email us if you're unsure of eligibility.Simultaneous Submission Allowed
You may submit your poems simultaneously to this contest and to other contests and publishers. Please notify us if one of your poems wins an award in another contest or is published elsewhere.English Language
Poems should be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible, unless you wrote both the original poem and the translation.A Note to Previous War Poetry Contestants
You are welcome to enter this year's contest, whether or not you won a prize in one of our previous contests. For best results, please read the Advice from the Judge first.Privacy
We respect your privacy. Winning Writers does not rent customer or contestant information to third parties. Please click here for our full privacy policy.Copyright
You retain the copyright to your submission. If you place as finalist or better, Winning Writers only requests permission to publish your work on WinningWriters.com, in our email publications and in our press releases. Any other use will be negotiated with you.Final Judge of the War Poetry Contest - Jendi Reiter
Ms. Reiter is the editor of Poetry Contest Insider, an online database of poetry contests published by Winning Writers. Her first book, A Talent for Sadness, was published in 2003 by Turning Point Books. Her poetry chapbook Swallow won the 2008 Flip Kelly Poetry Prize and was published in 2009 by Amsterdam Press. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Criterion, Mudfish, American Fiction, The Adirondack Review, The Broome Review, FULCRUM, Juked, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Clackamas Literary Review, Alligator Juniper, MARGIE: The American Journal of Poetry, Best American Poetry 1990 and many other publications. Awards include first prize in the Chapter One Promotions 2008 International Short Story Contest, first prize for poetry in Alligator Juniper's 2006 National Writing Contest, first prize in the 2007 Elizabeth Simpson Smith Award for a Short Story (Charlotte Writers' Club), two awards from the Poetry Society of America, and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for poetry criticism. Visit her blog at www.jendireiter.com.Advice for Contestants
Whether or not you've entered this contest before, we urge you to read our Advice from the Judge before entering. It will measurably improve your chances. We also encourage you to read our recent winning entries and the judge's comments. You may also find useful our page of Frequently Asked Questions.About Winning Writers
Winning Writers finds and creates quality resources for poets and writers. Our expert online poetry contest guide, Poetry Contest Insider, profiles over 750 poetry contests. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest and the War Poetry Contest. We also assist the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest, the Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse and the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest. Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2009) and a recipient of the Truly Useful Site Award (Preditors & Editors, March 2006).