C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry

CLOSES: October 31, 2025

Judges: Forrest Gander and Brecht Wright Gander 

In honor of C.D. Wright’s legacy, we seek to award innovative poetry that “lives freely and variously and fully engaged with others and the world.” Any poet writing in English is eligible to submit, so long as they have not yet published a first book. U.S. citizenship is not a restriction of eligibility. The winner receives $1000 and publication in the Arkansas International. This year we are delighted and honored to have Forrest Gander and Brecht Wright Gander as our prize judges.

Contest Guidelines:

• Entries for the C.D. Wright Prize for Poetry should be 3-5 previously unpublished poems, with a total of no more than 6 pages. Entrants may submit more than once, but each new entry must be accompanied by a separate entry fee.
• Open to writers who haven’t yet published a full-length poetry book, and who have no book forthcoming before May 1, 2026. Writers with chapbooks are allowed. Writers with a self-published book with a print run under 300 copies are allowed.
• All work will be considered for inclusion in the magazine. We are excited to read your poetry! To get a sense of what we publish, read previous issues on our website. 
• Only previously unpublished work will be considered.
• The contest will be judged blindly, so please DO NOT include your cover letter, your name, or any contact information in your uploaded document.
• Submit your work as a single .doc, or .docx file.
• Work created by artificial intelligence (AI) generators or similar is ineligible.
• Any Arkansas International staff, family members of staff, or close friends of the judges are ineligible.