Get your poems ready for a chance to win a cash prize and publication in Plenitude Magazine!
Plenitude’s new Summer Poetry Contest will run August 1 to September 21, 2026, and will be open to LGBTQ2S+ writers at any stage of their career, anywhere in the world. The contest judge is Misha Solomon!
We’re excited to launch a literary contest (our first in many years!) for the queer and trans writing community by awarding one $500 prize to the best submitted poem.
Contest judge Misha Solomon is a homosexual poet in and of Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. His work has appeared in journals across Canada and has been anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry 2024, 2026, and 2027 (Biblioasis) and in On Occasion: Poems for the People (Coach House). He is a student in Concordia’s Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD program. He is the author of three chapbooks and his full-length debut, My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet, was released by Brick Books this spring.
Full contest details:
The gist
- Plenitude’s Summer Poetry Contest is open globally to members of the LGBTQ2S+ community only – we are a gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and queer magazine for writers who identify as such!
- We welcome submissions from previous Plenitude writers and submitters. Even if you currently have a submission pending, or have recently published with us, we want to read your contest entries!
- One winner will receive $500, in Canadian funds, and their winning poem will be published on our website
- The contest runs August 1 until September 21
Entries and contest fee
- The contest entry fee is $15 (Canadian dollars) and lets you submit up to three poems
- Each entry should consist of no more than three poems; we will only consider the first three poems in the file you upload
- We have no limits on the number of times you can submit, but the $15 fee must be paid each time
- Each poem should be no more than 100 lines
- All entries must remain anonymous – don’t put your name in the document or submission title
- We choose one poem as the winner, not one batch of three poems, so please title each of your poems
What to submit
- There is no theme to this contest
- We are an LGBTQ2S+ magazine, but we welcome submissions of poems that explore themes outside of sexuality and gender orientation
- Poems of a homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, racist, or overly violent nature are not welcome
- Previously published poems in any form, or poems currently under consideration for publication with a literary magazine, are also not welcome
- AI-generated? Stay away!
How to submit
- Send your contest entries and $15 entry fee using Submittable only
- Poems with no entry fee, or poems emailed to our editor, will not be considered
- We are a digital magazine, so your entry should be digital, as well (we can’t accept mailed entries)
- Upload your file with one, two, or three poems together, as a Word or PDF document
Cover letter
- In the Submittable cover letter section of your submission, list all poem titles and their word counts
- Include your name, email address, country of residence, and 50-word bio
- The cover letter section should be the only identifying area of your submission, and will be separated from your entry to maintain anonymity
The poem document
- The only thing your uploaded document should contain are the poems! (No cover letter or name)
- We like 12-point fonts, single spaced
- Each poem must start on a new line with each poem title in bold
The decision
- All submissions will be considered for regular publication in Plenitude Magazine
- A shortlist of 10 to 12 poems will be announced near the end of October
- The winner will be announced on our website the first week of November
- The winner will be paid by cheque (if Canadian within Canada), or by PayPal (if American, international, or Canadian living overseas). Be sure you can accept either before submitting, as these are our only two methods of payment if you win!
Click to submit your winning poem (starting August 1):
