Juried literary
National Poetry Series Open Competition
The National Poetry Series
In short
The National Poetry Series Open Competition picks five unpublished poetry manuscripts each year and has them published by an established press, with $10,000 to each winning poet. This one comes before publication rather than after: a collection already published in any form, including self-published, is no longer eligible. The poet submits the manuscript directly and anonymously, 48 to 64 pages, for a $35 fee, and must be a United States citizen, a ten-year resident, or hold certain immigration statuses.
Opens January 7, 2027Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
The National Poetry Series Open Competition, established in 1978, selects five unpublished poetry manuscripts each year for publication. Each of five judges picks one winner, and the winning books are published by participating presses: currently Akashic Books, Beacon Press, Milkweed Editions, Penguin, and the University of Georgia Press. Each winner also receives a $10,000 cash prize.
This is a manuscript competition, not an award for a published book. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished in their complete form (individual poems may have appeared in periodicals), run 48 to 64 pages, and be submitted anonymously. Self-published books, translations, and chapbooks are not eligible.
Entrants must be United States citizens, residents of the United States for the ten years before January 1 of the prize year, or holders of DACA, TPS, or LPS status. The entry fee is $35 per manuscript, and the window for the 2027 competition runs January 7 to March 21, 2027.
Why it may matter
For a poet with a finished but unpublished collection, this is one of the few open competitions that pairs publication by an established press with a meaningful cash prize, and it does not require an agent or a prior book. It belongs on the planning-stage checklist rather than the post-publication one: once a collection has been published in any form, including self-published, it is no longer eligible.
2027 cycle: 2027 Open Competition
- Entries open
- January 7, 2027Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Final deadline
- March 21, 2027Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Entry period runs from 12:00 a.m. Eastern on January 7, 2027, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 21, 2027
- Entry fee
- $35 per manuscriptChecked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Finalists notified on or before June 15, 2027; the five winners notified in early September 2027
| Tier | Deadline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Per manuscript | See rules | $35 |
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Previous winners must wait three competition cycles before entering again. Finalists are notified on or before June 15 and winners in early September of the competition year. Keep a copy of the manuscript exactly as submitted; the winning book goes into production with the assigned press after the announcement.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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