Saturday, December 20, 2025

Writing Competition: Porter House Review Editors' Prizes

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Porter House Review

2025-2026 Editors’ Prize

The Porter House Review staff is excited to announce our 2025-2026 Editors’ Prizes in Fiction and Poetry. This year’s contest will be judged by James Frankie Thomas and Carl Phillips. This contest will open on December 15, 2025 and close on January 31, 2026. Winners and finalists will be announced in late Spring 2026. 

Contest Rules & Guidelines

One winner will be selected in each genre. The winners will each receive an award of $500 and publication in our journal. First and second runners-up will receive $200 for fiction and $50 for poetry. All submitted works will be considered for publication.

The submission fee for this contest is $10.00. However, between January 5-7th, this submission fee will be waived. While we rely in part upon submission fees to pay our contributors, we are also dedicated to offering free submission periods as we recognize these fees may present a hardship to submitters. Whether a submission was received during a paid period or a waiver period will have no bearing on its consideration by our editors and judges.

Fiction

We seek to publish fiction that is emotionally affecting, haunting, bizarre, and in firm control of the machinations of storytelling (e.g. character, scene, plot, and momentum). We welcome both traditional short stories, flash fiction, and other hybrid forms.

Please limit your submissions to 5,000 words or fewer. Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, paginated.

Poetry

We seek poetic works that capture experience by reinvigorating the language of the everyday, or surprising readers with novel, rarefied text. We are particularly interested in poetry that champions inventive forms and content.

Submit a maximum of 5 poems or fewer. Please include the number of poems you are submitting in your submission title.

Other General Notes

All entries will be read blind. To that end, please remove your name and any other identifying information from your manuscript. Texas State University students, alumni, and faculty members are not eligible.

Please send work that is previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please immediately withdraw from our contest if you place your work elsewhere.

Finally, all work must be submitted through our Submittable portal. We do not accept paper or emailed submissions.

Submit your entry here.

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