This Month’s Stages A monthly curated list of poetry opportunities, from across the world, curated carefully by the Poets & Peace editorial team
At Poets & Peace, we believe your poem deserves more than one stage.
Every month, we shall be looking for the best poetry opportunities across the globe – contests, open calls, and platforms worth your words. We read the guidelines so you don’t have to. We filter for accessibility, legitimacy, and fit. And then we bring you the ones we’d submit to ourselves.
Here’s what we found for May 2026.
1. Bridport Prize – Open internationally
One of the most prestigious open poetry competitions in the world. No theme restrictions – just bring your best, most original poem.
Prize: £5,000 first prize. Publication in the Bridport Prize Anthology.
Deadline: May 31, 2026 Fee: £13 per entry
Why we like it: The Bridport has launched careers. If you’re a serious poet ready to test your work against an international field, this is the one. The anthology alone is worth the entry.
🔗 bridportprize.org.uk
2. Happiful Poetry Prize – Mental Health & Wellbeing Open internationally, aged 18+
Theme: Mental health, inner life, wellbeing – the territory many of our poets already write from naturally.
Prize: Publication in Happiful magazine, issue 108. Four shortlisted poets receive £25 National Book Tokens.
Why we like it: The theme aligns closely with what many young poets are already writing about – anxiety, healing, the quiet battles. If your poem lives in that space, this is a stage built for it.
🔗 happiful.com/poetry-prize
3. Places Writing Competition — Poetry Category Open internationally
Theme: Write about a place that inspires or challenges you. Home, exile, a classroom, a river, a city you’ve never been to but carry in your bones.
Prize: $1,500 AUD overall winner. Up to $200 for commended entries. Special $50 prize for young writers.
Why we like it: The theme is wide enough for any poet, but the invitation to write about place unlocks something specific and we’ve seen what our poets do when they write about the places they carry within them.
🔗 placeswritingcompetition.com
4. The Montreal International Poetry Prize Open internationally
One poem, up to 40 lines. First prize CAD $20,000, with the winner and all shortlisted poems published in the Montreal Poetry Prize anthology. That’s not a typo – twenty thousand dollars, and every shortlisted poet gets published regardless.
Deadline: May 15, 2026 (this week – urgent) Fee: CAD $25
Why we like it: The prize money is extraordinary for a single poem. But what we love more is that shortlisted poets get published too – so even if you don’t win, your work finds a home. For an international audience writing in English, this is a rare and serious opportunity. Submit this week.
🔗 montrealpoetryprize.ca
5. Wells Festival of Literature — Young Poets Competition Open internationally, any age
The Young Poets Competition charges just £3 per entry, with prizes of £200, £150, and £100.
Deadline: June 30, 2026. Winners are celebrated at a prize-giving ceremony and poetry reading at the festival.
Why we like it: The entry fee is the lowest of anything on this list – three pounds. That’s a cup of coffee for a chance to be read by professional judges at one of England’s most celebrated literary festivals. And the Young Poets category exists specifically to surface new voices. This one is for the poets who are ready to test themselves but not ready to spend £13 doing it.
🔗 wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
Have a contest you think belongs on this list? Write to us at poetsandpeace.com/contact. We read everything.
And if you’re not ready for a contest yet – that’s fine too. Our submissions are always open. 🔗 poetsandpeace.com/submissions
