Announcing the 2026 Kingfisher Poetry Prize Shortlist!

The Top Ten

From this year’s many eye-catching longlisted poems, we are pleased to announce our shortlist for the 2026 Kingfisher Poetry Prize! From these ten poems, final judge Jude Neale will select this year’s winners, which will be announced here, on the blog, on September 15th!

Now, presenting the shortlist for this year’s Kingfisher Poetry Prize…

The 2026 Kingfisher Poetry Prize Shortlist

Anna Mark with ‘oro rosso’

K Abbott-Saez with ‘The Night I Harnessed the Light’

Kath Healing with ‘Held Position’

Mary Ann Moore with ‘Dying is Asking Everything of Me’

Nicole Ardiel with ‘What I wish for’

Petra Chambers with ‘Gulf Island’

Petra Chambers with ‘Seeker seeking’

Rhonda Collis with ‘Oil Spill at Wabumun’

Rhonda Collis with ‘Run Wolf’

Sandra Kasturi with ‘Gargoyle’

Congratulations to these poets, and thank you to all of those who shared your work with us this year.

The winners, as selected by final judge Jude Neale, will be announced here on September 15th, so stay tuned!

The 2026 Raven Short Story Contest is now open to all writers of flash and short fiction!

Get your entries in by September 15th, to take advantage of our Earlybird pricing. Not quite ready? No worries! This contest will remain open until October 15th, 2026. Find all of the details and the contest guidelines here.