Deadline: July 15, 2022
Entry fee: $5
About the competition
Here’s how it works — Our editorial staff chooses approximately fifty to sixty finalists. The highest-scoring finalists (25 or so) are considered Special Merit poems. Special Merit poems go to the judge and are guaranteed publication. The judge determines the top three prize winners. The entire editorial staff then selects the Honorable Mentions from the remaining Special Merits.
Competition guidelines
- Each poem on a separate 8.5 x 11 page, typed, IF SUBMITTED BY MAIL
- Poems must be original, unpublished in ANY medium, print or electronic. The Comstock Review reserves the first refusal rights if there is any error in the poet’s records that results in simultaneous submission. Editors have the right to disqualify all poems submitted by a poet if there is any question of previous publication or notice of acceptance elsewhere by accident.
- No poem must exceed 40 lines, beginning with the first line of text below the title. DO NOT count blank lines. Please also consider our 64-character line width when submitting.
- For mail submissions, Name and ALL contact information must be on the REVERSE side of EACH poem entered. If not, we have to disqualify any/or all poems lacking this information. Contact information submitted on the front of poems will disqualify entries. IF ONLINE SUBMISSION, CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE IN THE COVER LETTER.
- For mail submissions, send SASE for results only. No poems will be returned.
All Prize Winners, Honorable Mentions, and Special Merit Poems are considered accepted work and will be published. - PLEASE NOTE: The entry fee is $5 for per poem sent by mail, no limit. Online it is $27.50 for up to 5 poems. If you are submitting only 1 or2 poems, you can save money by doing it by mail.
