Two Days Left!
The 2026 Kingfisher Poetry Prize closes Saturday, August 15th! Poets, this is your last chance to send us your best short poems for a shot at the $300 top prize and publication in Pulp Literature.
For some inspiration, read the opening lines of last year’s winning poems by Atma Frans, Sarina Sullivan, and Maryam Imogen Ghouth here. Or pick up a copy of Issue 49, Winter 2026 to read these poems in full.
What You Need to Know…
The Prize:
First Prize: $300 and publication in Issue 53, Winter 2027
Runners up (2): $50 each and publication in Issue 53, Winter 2027
The Details:
The Kingfisher Poetry Prize is for previously unpublished poems of up to 20 lines in length. Poetry that relies heavily on visual structure is eligible for prize money, but may be excluded from publication if the formatting is difficult to reproduce in print or eBook. Total entries limited to 300. No simultaneous submissions.
The Deal:
Entry fee: $20
All entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
The Dates:
Contest Closes: August 15th
Winner Announced: Mid-September
Enter the Contest Here!
We wish you the best of luck and can’t wait to read your work!
Meet final judge, Jude Neale!
Jude Neale is a master educator, Canadian poet, vocalist, spoken word performer, workshop facilitator, and mentor. As well, she has has written twelve collections of poetry. She is a beloved mother, grandmother, and wife.
At eight years old, Jude had her first publication, when she won a CBC youth competition on travel. Her book, Water Forgets Its Own Name (Ekstasis Editions), is a collaboration with the visual artist Nicholas Jennings.
Jude’s book A Quiet Coming of Light: A Poetic Memoir (Leaf) was a finalist for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, a recognition of Canadian women poets. Her manuscript, Splendid in Its Silence, won publication in the UK. Her poem, ‘Blue Bowl’, was a finalist for the prestigious Irish Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Award. ‘Emptiness in the Garden’, selected by Britain’s Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, rode the buses in the Channel Islands for a year.
Drawing on her musical background, Jude collaborated with violist, composer, and visionary, Thomas RL Beckman, to write a poetic prose narrative for the three-movement orchestrated suite, The St. Roch Suite, performed live by the Prince George Symphony Orchestra.
Curious what our final judge might be looking for?
You can find two of Jude’s poems in Pulp Literature Issues 13 and 37. Read an excerpt of her poem ‘About Light’ from Issue 13 here, along with an excerpt of ‘Blaze of the Universe’ from Issue 37 here.
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