Poetry Competition: Rattle

The 2015 Rattle Poetry Prize 

In honor of its 10th anniversary, we’re doubling down: The annual Rattle Poetry Prize now offers $10,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $200 each and publication, and be eligible for the $2,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote.  

Additional poems from the entries are frequently offered publication as well. In 2014 we published 22 poems that had been submitted to the contest from almost 3,000 entries.

With the winners judged in a blind review by the editors to ensure a fair and consistent selection, an entry fee that is simply a one-year subscription to the magazine—and now a large Readers’ Choice Award to be chosen by the writers themselves—we’ve designed the Rattle Poetry Prize to be one of the most writer-friendly contests around.

Submitting via Hardcopy

U.S. entries only! Include a check or money order for $20, payable to Rattle, and send entries to:

Rattle
Poetry Prize
12411 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604

POSTMARK DEADLINE: July 15, 2015

Submit online.

The Rattle Poetry Prize is an entirely separate category from the others listed here, and because of the nature of the contest, some of the rules are different. Please read the following rules very carefully. Poems submitted to the contest cannot be considered for the theme issues—either they'll win the contest, be published in another open issue, or not at all.

1) The $20 entry fee is a one-year subscription to Rattle (or a one-year extension for subscribers) at our regular rate. New subscriptions will start with the next available issue (currently Summer 2015, arriving June 1st). Current subscribers will receive a one-year extension. Due to shipping costs, international entries through Submittable will receive a 0.75-year subscription (three issues) instead of the full year.
2) One $10,000 Winner and ten $200 Finalists will be selected in a blind review by the editors of Rattle and printed in the Winter 2015 issue; one $2,000 Readers’ Choice Award will then be chosen from among the Finalists by subscriber and entrant vote.
3) Open to writers, worldwide; poems must be written in English (no translations). Rattle‘s winter issue must be a potential first publication for all works submitted. No previously published works, or works accepted for publication elsewhere. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but we must be notified immediately by adding a note to your entry (under the "Activity" tab in Submittable) if any poems are accepted elsewhere.
4) The first page of your file must be a cover sheet: Include your name, address, email address, phone number, and the titles of the poems onto the first page of the file. Add the poems themselves (with titles) on subsequent pages, with each poem beginning a new page. Identifying personal information should only appear on the cover sheet, and not any pages with poems.
5) Send up to four poems per entry, in a SINGLE file with the cover sheet. Include the cover sheet as the first portion/page of the file. There is no line-limit. 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, each with its own cover sheet and an additional $20 fee. Each additional entry will add an extra year to your subscription. Contest entry fees are non-refundable.
6) Winners will be announced on September 15, 2015, and the Readers’ Choice Award Winner will be announced February 15, 2016. Additional entries may also be offered standard publication.