Welcome home, poet.

Frontier Poetry began with the simple mission of being a platform for emerging poets—to uplift, to prepare, and to inspire.

We are looking for poets and poems that strive to place themselves at the edge of what language can do. This does not mean we are only concerned with experimental poetry. We believe sonnets can be at the frontier, book-length poems can be at the frontier, confessional poetry can be at the frontier—as long as a piece is constructed with exceptional consideration for language, craft, and heart, that poem is a fit for us.

Work by new and underrepresented voices is one of our priorities in publication. We take our role as a mediating platform between poet and world seriously and strive to use this role as fairly and justly as we can. The frontier land of poetry, that distant landscape where all voices can be heard clearly and in abundance, where poets from all contexts feel empowered to step into their writing—we seek that place, and hope to plant ourselves in its beauty.

By submitting to Frontier Poetry, submitters agree to receive correspondence about new work and submission opportunities from Frontier Poetry. You can unsubscribe at any time.

**If you haven't already, please verify your email address with Submittable for more consistent communication.**

Frontier Poetry does not consider or review AI-generated work. Submissions utilizing AI tools will be automatically declined.

Ends on $20.00
$20.00
Submit to 2026 Myths & Fables Prize

2026 Myths & Fables

To make sense of paradoxes that define human experience, people have erected pathways towards understanding that transcend time. In moments of deep confusion, some may rely on the thrill and expedience of superstition; on the steadfastness of religion; in moments of deep curiosity, others still use the scientific method to gain knowledge. Mythology and fables remain the artist's tool for making sense of the world. As Joseph Campbell states: “I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of [artists], the inspirers of [poets].” 

In that vein, Frontier Poetry is excited to announce the 2026 Myths & Fables Prize. We’re seeking poems that address myths or fables with creativity and innovation. We invite classic retellings, holistic reimaginings, and personal mythologizing. Be subversive, challenge audience expectation, and venture to demonstrate the potentialities of language when paired with the power of myth. 

Frontier Poetry warmly encourages submissions from poets of all identities, cultural backgrounds, and traditions. We are especially interested in work that explores underrepresented mythologies and stories not often given space in the Western literary canon.

Guest Judge Matthew Olzmann will select the winners.The first-place winner will receive $3,000 and publication. Second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively, along with publication. All finalists will be considered for paid publication in New Voices.

This contest opens July 13th, 2026 and closes September 13th, 2026.

Further reading for inspiration can be found here: 

 

 

About Our Judge:

Matthew Olzmann is the author of Constellation Route as well as two previous collections of poetry. His next book An Oral History of the Flat Earth is forthcoming from Alice James Books in 2027. A recipient of fellowships from Kundiman, MacDowell, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Olzmann’s poems have appeared in the New York Times, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prizes, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. He is an assistant professor at Dartmouth College and also teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.

 

What our judge is looking for:

I tend to like poems that seek to create an experience for the reader rather than trying to simply report an experience to the reader. That experience might come in any number of forms, but the ones that live with me the longest are usually those that surprise me in some manner, give me a new way of seeing or feeling, or they pull me out of my life for a brief moment, then bring me back somehow altered. 

 

Guidelines

  • Submissions are open to new and emerging writers (for this contest, we define this as poets with no more than one full-length work of poetry published or forthcoming at the time of submission).
  • Send up to three poems per submission, for a total of no more than five pages.
  • For this contest, we have no aesthetic or formal requirements and will consider all styles of poetry.
  • Please submit unpublished poems only. Previously published work will be automatically disqualified.
  • You may submit multiple times, but each submission requires a separate $20 fee.
  • We welcome simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • As part of our dedication to the pursuit of a more inclusive publishing world, we offer a free submission window for poets from historically marginalized groups at the beginning of the contest. Please note the portal will close when we hit our cap of fifty submissions; there will be no additional waivers granted.
  • Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English. Inclusion of other languages is welcome, as long as the poem is primarily written in English. Some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
  • Please include a brief cover letter that includes a short, third-person bio with your publication history, if applicable. To safeguard our staff, please include any necessary content warnings as well.
  • Do not include any identifying information in the body of your document.
  • Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.
  • Please do not submit work if you have a close relationship with Frontier’s editors or the guest judge.
  • Winners and finalists will be announced in the fall of 2026.

If you have any questions, please visit our FAQ page. If you don’t find the answer to your question, you can send an email to contact (at ) frontierpoetry (dot) com.

 

Additional Feedback Options

The single–letter editorial feedback costs $59 and will provide you with two pages of detailed and actionable feedback by one of our editors on a single poem of your choice from your packet, including suggestions for future submissions. The $149 option will provide you with three letters from three different editors. Our guest editors are paid a significant portion of the fee and all are astute and professional poets. Please allow eight to twelve weeks from the close of the contest to receive your editorial feedback.

Ends on
Submit to 2026 Myths & Fables Prize // Free to Historically Marginalized Groups

2026 Myths & Fables

To make sense of paradoxes that define human experience, people have erected pathways towards understanding that transcend time. In moments of deep confusion, some may rely on the thrill and expedience of superstition; on the steadfastness of religion; in moments of deep curiosity, others still use the scientific method to gain knowledge. Mythology and fables remain the artist's tool for making sense of the world. As Joseph Campbell states: “I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of [artists], the inspirers of [poets].” 

In that vein, Frontier Poetry is excited to announce the 2026 Myths & Fables Prize. We’re seeking poems that address myths or fables with creativity and innovation. We invite classic retellings, holistic reimaginings, and personal mythologizing. Be subversive, challenge audience expectation, and venture to demonstrate the potentialities of language when paired with the power of myth. 

Frontier Poetry warmly encourages submissions from poets of all identities, cultural backgrounds, and traditions. We are especially interested in work that explores underrepresented mythologies and stories not often given space in the Western literary canon.

Guest Judge Matthew Olzmann will select the winners.The first-place winner will receive $3,000 and publication. Second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively, along with publication. All finalists will be considered for paid publication in New Voices.

This contest opens July 13th, 2026 and closes September 13th, 2026.

Further reading for inspiration can be found here: 

 

 

About Our Judge:

Matthew Olzmann is the author of Constellation Route as well as two previous collections of poetry. His next book An Oral History of the Flat Earth is forthcoming from Alice James Books in 2027. A recipient of fellowships from Kundiman, MacDowell, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Olzmann’s poems have appeared in the New York Times, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prizes, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. He is an assistant professor at Dartmouth College and also teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.

 

What our judge is looking for:

I tend to like poems that seek to create an experience for the reader rather than trying to simply report an experience to the reader. That experience might come in any number of forms, but the ones that live with me the longest are usually those that surprise me in some manner, give me a new way of seeing or feeling, or they pull me out of my life for a brief moment, then bring me back somehow altered.

Guidelines

  • Submissions are open to new and emerging writers (for this contest, we define this as poets with no more than one full-length work of poetry published or forthcoming at the time of submission).
  • Send up to three poems per submission, for a total of no more than five pages.
  • For this contest, we have no aesthetic or formal requirements and will consider all styles of poetry.
  • Please submit unpublished poems only. Previously published work will be automatically disqualified.
  • You may submit multiple times, but each submission requires a separate $20 fee.
  • We welcome simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  • As part of our dedication to the pursuit of a more inclusive publishing world, we offer a free submission window for poets from historically marginalized groups at the beginning of the contest. Please note the portal will close when we hit our cap of fifty submissions; there will be no additional waivers granted.
  • Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English. Inclusion of other languages is welcome, as long as the poem is primarily written in English. Some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
  • Please include a brief cover letter that includes a short, third-person bio with your publication history, if applicable. To safeguard our staff, please include any necessary content warnings as well.
  • Do not include any identifying information in the body of your document.
  • Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.
  • Please do not submit work if you have a close relationship with Frontier’s editors or the guest judge.
  • Winners and finalists will be announced in the fall of 2026.

If you have any questions, please visit our FAQ page. If you don’t find the answer to your question, you can send an email to contact (at ) frontierpoetry (dot) com.

 

Additional Feedback Options

The single–letter editorial feedback costs $59 and will provide you with two pages of detailed and actionable feedback by one of our editors on a single poem of your choice from your packet, including suggestions for future submissions. The $149 option will provide you with three letters from three different editors. Our guest editors are paid a significant portion of the fee and all are astute and professional poets. Please allow eight to twelve weeks from the close of the contest to receive your editorial feedback.

Submit to New Voices: Fast Response for BIPOC Writers

 We have a problem in publishing. The 2019 Diversity in Publishing survey found that on average almost 80% of people shaping the publishing industry are white. When this was published, that statistic had not shifted significantly for years. This reality perpetuates the systematic exclusion of historically marginalized writers that will not change unless those with literary platforms and thus some degree of power actively strive to change it.

Toward that end, we at Frontier are offering this space as an opportunity for Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color (BIPOC) to get fast results on their submissions. We'll do our best to get you a decision on your poetry within two to four weeks. Your voice is valued here, and we welcome your work.

These submissions will be considered for our New Voices poetry category.
 

Guidelines

  • Submissions are open internationally for historically marginalized BIPOC writers only.
  • Submissions are open to new and emerging poets with no more than one full-length published work forthcoming at the time of submission—email us about self-published works)
  • We accept simultaneous submissions—just please send us a note via Submittable if your work is picked up elsewhere (we want to say congrats!)
  • All submissions must be no more than ten pages and no more than five poems.
  • We do not accept multiple submissions. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
  • Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history, if any.
  • Expect two to four weeks for a response.
  • Publication in our New Voices category includes a payment of $50 per poem.
  • Please review our FAQ page for more information. Almost all other questions are answered here: www.frontierpoetry.com/faq
     
New Voices: Frontier Poetry - Free
Submit to New Voices: Frontier Poetry - Free

Submissions for our New Voices poetry category are open year round to any new and emerging poet who has not published more than one full-length collection of poetry. New Voices are published online only and will feature a number of poems from new authors each month.

We are thrilled to offer significant payment to our partner poets: $50 per poem, up to $150. We are proud to be paying for  published pieces but will be highly selective in our choices for  publication.

We also warmly invite under-represented and marginalized voices to submit. Our aim is to be an accurate representation of the diversity of our beautiful community. Your voice is valued here.


Guidelines

  • Submissions are open to new and emerging poets only  (no more than two full-length published works forthcoming at the time of submission—email us about self-published works)
  • We accept simultaneous submissions—just please send us a note if your work is picked up elsewhere (We want to say congrats!)
  • All submissions must be no more than ten pages and no more than five poems.
  • We do not accept multiple submissions. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
  • Please include a cover letter with your publication history
  • Expect six to eight weeks for a response
  • Please review our FAQ page for more information. Almost all other questions are answered here: www.frontierpoetry.com/faq


Editorial Feedback Option

This option costs $59 and will provide you with two pages of detailed and actionable feedback on a poem of your choice from the submission, including suggestions for future submissions. Our guest editors are paid a significant portion of the fee (at EFA rates) and are all incredibly astute and professional poets. Please note, the time frame for Ed Letters is eight to twelve weeks from the time of submission. 


Frontier Poetry