The Kingfisher Poetry Prize
Like the kingfisher who waits with perfect patience, then strikes her prey with unerring aim, we are searching for small sparkling poems that flash and glimmer from the depths. This contest is for shorter poems, up to twenty lines in length. May the best poem win!
Contest opens: 1 July 2026
Deadline: 15 August 2026
Winner notified: 15 September 2026
Winners published in: Issue 53, Winter 2027
First Prize: $300
Runners up (2): $50 each
All entrants receive a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
Entry fee: $20
Earlybird fee (before 15 Jul): $15
Final Judge: Jude Neale
This contest is for previously unpublished poems of up to 20 lines in length.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.
Submission Guidelines
Pulp Literature Press does not support the use of Generative AI or LLM software. We do not accept works created by AI software, and we will not feed your work to AI platforms for editing, design, or marketing purposes.
Use the paypal button below to add your payment to the shopping cart. If you are submitting multiple poems you can change the number of poems in the shopping cart and pay all at once. If you prefer etransfer pulpliteraturepress(at)gmail.com.
Entry Fee
Once you have paid the entry fee, fill in the entry form with your information and transaction ID. Then upload your story to our entry form in Word .doc or .docx format. If you are having trouble uploading your document, make sure it is not saved as ‘read-only’. This is the number one cause of files not uploading. If you are submitting multiple poems, please fill out a separate entry form for each poem. Each poem must be in a separate document. However, you can pay for all your poems at once.
Thank you for your entry! Digital subscriptions are sent out when the contest closes. While you wait, why not get inside the mind of judge Jude Neal with some of her poetry in Pulp Literature Issues 8, 13, and 37!
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Meet Kingfisher Judge, Jude Neale!
Jude Neale is a master educator, Canadian poet, vocalist, spoken word performer, workshop facilitator, mentor, and inaugural Poet Laureate for Bowen Island, BC. As well, she has has written twelve collections of poetry. She is a beloved mother, grandmother, and wife.
Find her at judeneale.ca.