Reviewed October 2026
Submission calendar
Magazines open and shut. Prizes name a day and then move it. This calendar is a desk list for poets who are ready to send finished work, reviewed in October 2026. The organiser’s page is the only deadline that counts.
How to use a window
A submission calendar is not a challenge to enter everything that is open. It is a way to stop refreshing the same three sites in a panic. Pick two magazines whose recent poems you have actually read, and one prize at most. Send to the door that is open this month. If a row says “confirm on site,” the window is real but not a date we are willing to invent — quota systems and themed issues close without warning.
Competitions with fixed dates also live on the competitions page, which is reviewed on the same cycle. Presses and what they want in a manuscript are on poetry presses. Do not send a book to a magazine, or a single poem to a press that asked for a sample of eight.
competition · Closes 31 October 2026
Single poem, up to 40 lines
£9 for the first poem, £6 thereafter. Worldwide, age 18+. Unpublished. Judges for 2026: Niall Campbell, Malika Booker, Luke Kennard.
competition · Closes 31 January 2027
Judge’s Prize 11–50 lines; Editors’ Prize up to 10
Open as of October 2026. Judge’s Prize judged by Fiona Benson. Winners due in Magma 98, summer 2027. Enter via Submittable.
- Bridport Prize — PoetryOpens soon
competition · Opens 15 November 2026
Single poem, max 42 lines
The 2026 round closed on 31 May. The next cycle opens 15 November 2026. Worldwide, age 16+. Check the fee on the day.
- The RialtoConfirm on site
magazine · Quota windows on Submittable; postal at any time
Up to four, in one document
Online windows close when the quota is full, not on a fixed calendar date. As of autumn 2026 they were reading towards issue 105. Look at Submittable before you upload. Postal submissions are still accepted.
- Magma (magazine issues)Confirm on site
magazine · Themed windows announced per issue
Usually up to four, unpublished
Magma 97, Diasporic Dialogues, ran 1 July–31 August 2026 and is closed. The next issue window is posted on the site and on Submittable. Do not assume a rolling submission.
- The Poetry ReviewConfirm on site
magazine · Reading periods announced by The Poetry Society
A small batch; see current guidelines
The Review is not always open. When it is, the Poetry Society page says so. Read two issues before you send. Competitions are a separate door.
- Poetry LondonConfirm on site
magazine · Magazine and prize windows posted on the opportunities page
Check the current call
The 2026 single-poem prize, judged by Seán Hewitt, has closed. A pamphlet prize has been open late in 2026 — confirm the date before posting a manuscript. Magazine submissions are a different call from the prize.
- The Poetry Business — Book & Pamphlet CompetitionConfirm on site
competition · Annual; next call announced on the site
Pamphlet or full collection, as specified
Also home of The North. The competition is the realistic route to a Smith|Doorstop pamphlet. Dates shift each year. Subscribe to the announcement rather than guessing the month.
- Butcher’s DogConfirm on site
magazine · Two or three short windows a year
A handful of poems; see the open call
Newcastle-based, with a fast reputation and brief reading periods. The window is easy to miss. Follow the magazine rather than bookmarking a month.
- Under the Radar (Nine Arches)Confirm on site
magazine · Announced on the Nine Arches site
See the current issue call
Nine Arches also reads for pamphlets and collections on a separate timetable. A magazine acceptance is not a manuscript submission. Send to the door that is actually open.
- The Emma PressConfirm on site
publisher · Themed open calls through the year
Anthology poems or pamphlet manuscripts, per call
Emma Press rarely wants an unsolicited full collection. They want the project they have named. Read the call’s theme before you attach a file.
- HappenStance PressConfirm on site
publisher · Pamphlet reading when the press says it is reading
A pamphlet sample, not a spray of single poems
Helena Nelson’s guidelines are exact, and they change when the press is full. If the site says closed, it is closed. A sample of six to eight poems is the usual first gesture when open.
- Poetry WalesConfirm on site
magazine · See the submissions page
A small group of poems
Welcomes writers in and beyond Wales. Simultaneous submissions are often allowed if you say so. Check the current editor’s note; themed issues appear.
- MslexiaConfirm on site
magazine · Poetry and competition slots in the magazine calendar
Varies with the slot; women writers
Mslexia’s poetry pages and its competitions are different deadlines. The magazine’s own calendar is the one to trust. Open to women writers.
competition · Typically spring to 31 July; 2026 round closed
Up to three if you live in the UK, one if you live elsewhere
Free to enter. Ages 11–17 on the closing date. The 2026 award closed on 31 July. Expect the next window in spring 2027.
This list is patched when a major window opens or closes, and read through each January. It is not a guarantee of a reply, a fee, or a taste. Read the magazine. Then send.