One $15,000 Winner and ten $500 Finalists will be selected in an anonymized review by the editors of Rattle and printed in the Winter 2026 issue;  one $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award will then be chosen from among the finalists by subscriber and entrant vote.

Open to writers, worldwide; poems must be written primarily in English (no translations except by the original author). Rattle’s winter issue must be a potential first curation for all works submitted—meaning they can’t have appeared in any books, magazines, or similar collections, online or in print. No previously curated works, or works accepted for curation elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but we must be notified immediately by sending a message through the submission if any poems are accepted elsewhere. Log into your account, click on the submission, and then the “messages” tab to send a message.

Do not include any identifying information within the file(s) that you submit—only include the poems (up to four). We will have all the contact information that you enter through Submittable’s online form, and that’s where we’ll send the subscription.

Send up to four poems, either in a single file or four separate files. There are no line-limits. Poems may be any length, any style, or any subject. Multiple entries by a single poet are accepted, however each group of four poems must be treated as a separate entry, and an additional $30 fee. Each additional entry will add an extra year to your subscription. Contest entries are non-refundable, and can’t be revised once they’re submitted, so please be sure to upload your final versions of the poems. If you make a mistake while submitting and need to fix your submission, DO NOT withdraw the entry. Use the built-in messaging system to send a replacement file as a message within the submission.

Winners will be announced on September 15, 2026, and the Readers’ Choice Award Winner will be announced February 15, 2027. Additional entries may also be offered standard publication.

Find out more about how to enter at Rattle.com.

Enter directly via Submittable

Thank you