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There are many, many poetry contests out there. A Google search of "poetry contests" brings up 136,000 results, and most of us don't have time to look through all those pages to find legitimate contests we'd want to enter. This article describes several ways to find poetry contests online, whether you're looking to enter individual poems or a whole manuscript.

- Market-list websites

An easy way to find poetry contests is to find several websites that maintain a list or database of current contests. Between the different databases, you should be able to find enough contests to enter. These websites are usually updated periodically - bookmark them and check back regularly for new contests. Two such websites are Dmoz.org and PoetryResourcePage.com (which also lists chapbook competitions separately).

There are also many websites that just list writing contests, regardless of whether they are for poetry or fiction. Some sites with lists of writing contests are NewPages.com, Ralan.com, and FreelanceWriting.com.

- Poetry groups

Find state or local poetry groups, and you will find poetry contests. If you know the names of any regional poetry societies, Google them. Otherwise just try combinations of words, like "Utah state poetry" or "Florida poetry contest" and see what comes up.

The Missouri State Poetry Society runs a summer contest (this year's deadline is 9/1/09). There are different categories to enter, and the fee is only $1 per poem. Cash prizes are awarded in each category.

Ligonier Valley Writers, Gulf Coast Writers Association, and Bay Area Poets Coalition also hold regular poetry contests. Check their websites for current contests and guidelines.

- Poetry Magazines

Many poetry magazines sponsor poetry contests. Check the websites of familiar journals and see if any of them contain contest guidelines.

Snake Nation Review offers the Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry, which awards one lucky entrant publication and $1,000. The Writers' Journal Poetry Contest runs three times a year, with a $3 entry fee and prizes of $50, $25, and $15.

- Universities

Universities are notorious for holding poetry competitions. You can either search a university's web site, or do a broad Internet search with words like "university," "press," "poetry," and "contest." You can also try searching for individual colleges.

Whiskey Island Magazine, Cleveland State University's creative writing journal, has an annual fiction and poetry contest, with $500 for first place in each category.

- Newsletters

Newsletters are an easy way to find poetry contests. They're delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge, and loaded with contest listings and other market information. Most include links right to the contests.

Sign up for as many writing newsletters as you have time to read. Two good ones that list poetry contests are Poetry Market Ezine and Winning Writers (which also sponsors the War Poetry Contest and Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest).

With all of these resources, you should be able to find plenty of poetry contests to enter. Read all guidelines before submitting, and beware of any contests that sound fishy. If a contest doesn't seem right to you, don't enter it. There are countless others you can find.

Learn more about this author, Greg Schwartz.
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