November 2026 Poetry Contest

No – our monthly contests are open theme, so you can enter a poem on any subject you like.

A new contest opens every month. Each one is independent, so you can enter as many monthly contests as you like over time.

Yes. Previously published poems are welcome, and simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Yes. The two competitions are completely independent and you’re welcome to enter both simultaneously – you can even submit the same poem to each.

None at all. We welcome poems of any length and any form or style.

Poems must be written in English, though you’re welcome to include words or phrases from other languages.

The entry fee is paid by card at the time of submission.

All entries are read and judged by our editorial team.

We’ll contact the winner by email within one month of the contest closing, using the details provided with your entry, so please keep them up to date and check your spam folder. If we don’t hear back, we’ll follow up several times over the 10 days after our first email. If we still haven’t heard from the winner by the end of that period, we may award the prize and publication to the runner-up instead. This is so we can confirm publication rights and pay the prize before publishing.

Your winning poem will be published on the Free the Verse website. You retain full copyright – by entering you grant us the right to publish your poem and use it in associated marketing materials.