Submission Guidelines
Illustration by Faisal Mohyuddin
Annual Chapbook Competition
Each winter we hold our annual chapbook competition open to new, emerging, and established poets. Chapbook-length manuscripts are 20-40 pages and poems previously published in journals are encouraged. Click here for a list of our previous winners. Submissions open in January and close in March. The winner is awarded a $250 prize, (20) author copies for personal use and distribution. In addition, each winner receives a $250 travel stipend for a reading and a 45-minute free book publicity consultation with Gold Leaf Literary. A final judge selects the winner. All entries are read blind by our editorial staff. We do accept simultaneous submission. Please notify us immediately if accepted elsewhere. The entry fee is $20. All manuscripts must be submitted via our Submittable account with no identifiable information.
Annual Haiku Chapbook Competition
Each Fall we hold our annual haiku chapbook competition. Entries are accepted from authors within the United States and Canada writing in the English language. Submissions open October 15th and close December 15th. Chapbook-length manuscripts are 18-30 pages and pages may include multiple haiku per page. Haiku previously published in journals are encouraged. The winner is awarded $100 and (20) author copies for personal use and distribution. The final judge is the current winner of the contest. The entry fee is $20. All manuscripts must be submitted via our Submittable account with no identifiable information.
Lucille Clifton Prize
Each spring we previously held the Lucille Clifton Prize. It was a tremendous pleasure to honor the poet great, but in lieu of time constraints and limited funding we no longer hold this contest. Click here for a list of our previous winners.
Important & Helpful Information
Currently, we do not read manuscripts outside of our contest periods. In addition to the selected winners, we offer publication to the runner up and possibly to other finalists. We do not read unsolicited manuscripts.
Due to recent U.S. postal changes, we no longer offer international shipping. International readers should email us directly at: backbonepoetry@gmail.com to possibly purchase e-copies of our titles.