Saturday, June 13, 2026

Writing Competition: Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 organization based in Santa Barbara, California, hosts an annual poetry contest called the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards.

The awards contest is an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under.

The 2026 Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards

Poetry has a way of moving us past facts and immersing us into an experience. The Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards encourages poets to do just that. There are three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under.

The deadline for entries is July 1, 2026.

The annual contest is open to people worldwide. Poems must be original, unpublished, and in English.

Deadline

Email your poem(s) in a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) to:

cwarner@napf.org

Mail entries to:

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
David Krieger House
1622 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

All entries must be postmarked (or emailed) by July 1, 2026.

 Awards

Adult Winner – $1,000
Youth (13 to 18) Winner – $200
Youth (12 and under) Winner – $200


We may award Honorable Mentions in each category.

Entry Fee

Adults – $15 for up to three poems
Youth (13 to 18) – $5
Youth (12 and under) – no fee
 

If submitting on paper, please make checks payable to Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Cash and money order are also accepted.

Judging

Judging will be done by a committee of poets selected by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Copies of the winning poems from previous years are available here.
Winners

Winners and Honorable Mentions will be announced by October 15th, 2026 on the NAPF website. Winners will be notified by email and/or mail. Past years’ winning poems can be found here

More information and payment portals here.

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