September Deadlines: 9 Contests and Magazines With Deadlines This Month
New month, new courage: submit yourself to these fellowships, magazines, awards and internships. Remember, too, acceptances and rejections are by-products of this journey—crafting your authentic art is the goal. And as always, submit poetry for free to our New Voices or Fellowship.
Featured Opportunity: The 2019 Frontier Award for New Poets
Offering the winner $3000 and the opportunity to have work judged by three of the most prominent poets writing today, the Frontier Award for New Poets is open to all poets with two books or less. The judging panel is comprised of the poets Kaveh Akbar, Ocean Vuong, and Eve L. Ewing, and the boutique agency that represents these poets is offering a conference with the winner! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity! Submit here.
Submission Fee: $20
Deadline: September 15
Gulf Coast 2019 Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
A contest offering $1000 to its winner and a $250 honorarium for its runner-up, the 2019 Barthelme Prize is put on by the prestigious University of Houston publication, Gulf Coast. Although not technically a poetry competition, prose poems, flash fiction, and micro-essays are encouraged. This contest is an opportunity to exercise brevity as form and deliberateness as practice, all the while blurring the lines between genre. Entry fees cover the full cost of submission as well as a yearlong subscription. Each submitted piece must be no more than 500 words. Submit here!
Submission Fee: $20
Deadline: September 1
Tinderbox 2019 Brett Elizabeth Jenkins Poetry Prize
Opposite of the above prize for short prose, the submission guidelines for the 2019 Brett Elizabeth Jenkins Poetry Prize emphasize that “there are no limitations in form or content; [Tinderbox] is interested in everything from traditional forms to free verse to lyric essay to flash fiction.” Offering a $750 prize to the winner and a $500 prize to the runner-up, this contest is judged by extraordinary poet Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, so don’t miss your opportunity! Submit up to five pages of poetry or three poems here.
Submission Fee: $12
Deadline: September 1
Black Warrior Review Poetry General Submission
Black Warrior Review is an exceptional literary journal that consistently publishes exciting, experimental, and technical writing. The biannual University of Alabama publication has been active for forty-five years and is accepting submissions until the very end of this summer season. Submit up to five poems or up to ten pages of poetry here.
Submission Fee: $3
Deadline: September 2
ANMLY Poetry General Submission
A publication committed to promoting the work of underrepresented voices in literature, ANMLY is searching for work “that challenge[s] the history and currents of the English language…[and] unsettle[s] cultural norms.” One of the most exciting online publications on the web today, don’t miss your opportunity to be featured in this great magazine! Submit here.
Submission Fee: $3
Deadline: September 15
Grist Poetry General Submission
Grist publishes work both in print and online. The literary journal out of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Tennessee is seeking unsolicited submissions from emerging and established poets alike. Transparent in their solicitation process, the website makes a point of noting that “more than 90% of the content of [Grist’s] most recent issues has come from unsolicited submissions,” so make sure that you don’t miss this opportunity! Submit three to five poems here.
Submission Fee: $4
Deadline: September 15
Up the Staircase Quarterly Poetry General Submission
UtQ is a phenomenal publication to work with, and they publish some of the most intimate work on the web. The decade-old publication nominates regularly for the Pushcart, Best of the Net, and Best New Poets prizes. Submit three to six poems here!
Submission Fee: Free
Deadline: September 16
The Spectacle Poetry General Submission
One of the most exciting and prestigious publications from across the web, the Washington University in St. Louis ran magazine is accepting unsolicited poetry submissions until midway through the month. Work featured in The Spectacle can be noted for its precision in craft and imaginative voices. Contributors are paid a $50 honorarium. Submit up to eight pages of poems, or three to five poems, here.
Submission Fee: Free
Deadline: September 16
Waxwing Poetry General Submission
Waxwing’s last issue was absolutely beautiful, featuring new work from established and emerging poets alike. The triannual online publication’s mission is to “include American writers from all cultural identities — in terms of race, ethnicity, indigenous tribe, gender, class, sexuality, age, education, ability, language, religion, and region — alongside international voices, published bilingually,” so don’t be afraid to send your works in other languages and works in translation! Submit up to five of your best poems here.
Submission Fee: Free
Deadline: September 30
