Chicagoland 70th Poetry Contest Opens July 15

2026 POETRY CONTEST

Stay tuned for contest details!
Rules & Submission Guidelines below ↓

Submission period

July 15 – August 31, 2026

Basic Poetry Contest Entry Fee:

$12 for members, $15 for non-members

Poetry Contest Categories & Rules:

Contest Rules, Submission Guidelines & details listed below ↓

Chicagoland Annual Poetry Contest Opens July 15

Stay tuned for more details about the contest!

Prizes

$50, $30, $20, plus three Honorable Mentions in each category.

Basic Entry fees

$12 for members, $15 for non-members. This covers one poem per category. This basic fee will be the same whether you enter in just one category or all of them.

Additional Fees to Enter More Poems

You can submit up to 3 poems per category. However, you will need to pay an additional fee:
• $1 per poem for Poets & Patrons member
• $3 per poem if you are not a member. (The cost of a P&P membership is $20 and comes with many benefits)

Note: Poets cannot be awarded or recognized more than once in any category.

To join Poets & Patrons visit our membership page ➞

Contest Rules, Submission Guidelines, Categories, and details below ↓

Contest Rules & Submission Guidelines

Contest Rules

Poems must not have been published elsewhere or under consideration for publication elsewhere. Nor can poems be posted anywhere online or created using any artificial intelligence technology. In addition, poems must not have won previous cash awards from Poets & Patrons. Poems need to be in English. Please, no unusual fonts or graphics/photos.

Line limit: 60 lines (counting epigraph, section numbers, and blank lines between stanzas, if any). Miniature poem line limit: 12 lines (including spaces between lines). Poems that exceed the line limits will not be considered.

Submission Guidelines

Details about how to submit your poems and pay the entry fees will be posted on this web page before the contests start date.

Notes About Winners

A list of winners’ names and their poem titles will be posted at the Poets & Patrons website after all winners have been notified. All winning poets will be invited to participate in an online reading in the fall.

Winning poets retain all rights. Winning poems will not be published.

Notes About Judging

All judging is done anonymously; no judges are affiliated with Poets & Patrons. The decisions of judges are final.

Questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to email Poets & Patrons at poetsandpatrons@gmail.com or Maggie Kennedy, Contest Chair, at maggiev@ameritech.net.

Miniature
Judge: Marilyn Wolf

Nature
Judge: Sal Marici

Road Trip
Judge: John Hinton

Shoes
Judge: TBD

Social Justice/
Social Conscience
Judge: TBD