The 2026 Button Poetry First Book Contest is now open!    

OPEN NOW through 11:59 PM PT on June 01st, 2026.

Please review these guidelines carefully before submitting. 

Prize: The winner will receive publication, 25 free author copies, and a $1,000 honorarium.      

Entry Fee: $25; all entrants will receive a 20% discount off any purchase at the Button Shop.      

Timeline: The contest will open on April 15th, 2026 and close at 11:59 PM PT on June 1st, 2026 

 Submitter Eligibility: 

• This competition is open to writers of ALL AGES from anywhere in the world. If chosen for publication and under the age of majority, you will need a signature from a legal guardian
• Submitters must not have a full length published poetry collection available or forthcoming from any press
• If submitters have previously published in a different genre or a chapbook collection, they may still submit

 Manuscript Eligibility: 

• Open to all previously unpublished, full-length manuscripts of poetry (loosely defined as 48+pages of poetry) written in English
• Manuscripts that contain previously published poems are eligible, so long as the manuscript is unpublished as a collection
• Previously self-published manuscripts are eligible

--      What We Like: 

We value energy and voice and force, work that crosses borders or effaces them completely, work that enters into larger social conversations, work that lives in the world, work with calloused hands and a half-empty stomach. 

We think poetry is and ought to be part of our everyday lives and culture.      Guidelines: 

• Submit a previously unpublished, full-length (48+ pages of poetry, 8.5x11 page-size) manuscript of poetry using our online submission manager. The manuscript, in one PDF file, should include: a title page with the title of the book only (no contact or identifying information about the author), a table of contents page, and the text itself. Please make sure that the name of your PDF file and the title of your manuscript entered here in Submittable match. The full PDF, all-inclusive, MUST be 48 pages or more. Files shorter than 48 pages will be disqualified. 
• Include, in the Cover Letter section of our submission manager ONLY, a brief letter with the title of your work and your contact info, as well as a brief bio. If you wish, you may also include info about your web and social media presence, but this is not required. Your name and contact information SHOULD NOT appear anywhere in the manuscript–we only want your name in the Cover Letter section itself. (Note: If your name appears in a poem, change it / falsify it / cut the poem—if your name appears ANYWHERE in the manuscript, your entry may be disqualified.)
• Start each new poem on a new page (poems longer than one page are fine, just don't put multiple short poems on the same page); use a legible, 10- to 12-point font like Times New Roman or Garamond.
• We are unable to consider revised versions of manuscripts during the contest, though the winner will have the opportunity to revise before publication.
• Multiple submissions by the same poet are fine, but you must pay a $25 entry fee for each submission.
• Simultaneous submissions are also fine, but please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Collaborative manuscripts written by more than one author are fine, too. Fine, fine, fine.
• The manuscript must consist of your original writing—specifically, content produced by generative AI tools is not allowed.

Process: The judges will read all submissions blindly to ensure the maximum level of fairness and select 6-12 finalists. The finalists will then be forwarded along to the final judge (TBD), who will select a winner. All finalists will be considered by the Editors for publication.  

For questions, email contest@buttonpoetry.com.

The 2026 Button Poetry Fiction Contest is now open!

OPEN NOW through 11:59 PM PT on July 01st, 2026.

Please review these guidelines carefully before submitting. 

Prize: The winner will receive publication, 25 free author copies, and a $500 honorarium.      

Entry Fee: $20; all entrants will receive a 20% discount off any purchase at the Button Shop.      

Timeline: The contest will open on May 15, 2026 and close at 11:59 PM PT on July 1, 2026

Submitter Eligibility: This competition is open to writers of ALL AGES from anywhere in the world. If chosen for publication and under the age of majority, you will need a signature from a legal guardian.

Manuscript Eligibility: Open to all previously unpublished, manuscripts of fiction written in English. Manuscripts that contain previously published excerpts are eligible, so long as the manuscript is unpublished as a whole.

 ---

What We Like: 

This is our second time doing this contest and we want to see what you want to show us! We are open to any and all of the following and anything you can come up with: Short Fiction, Epic Sci-Fi, Queer Fantasy Romance, etc. 

We value energy and voice and force, work that crosses borders or effaces them completely, work that enters into larger social conversations, work that lives in the world, work with calloused hands and a half-empty stomach. 

We think fiction is and ought to be part of our everyday lives and culture.      

Guidelines: 

• Submit a previously unpublished, fiction manuscript using our online submission manager. The manuscript, in one PDF file, should include: a title page with the title of the book only (no contact or identifying information about the author), a table of contents page (if applicable), and the text itself. Please make sure that the name of your PDF file and the title of your manuscript entered here in Submittable match. The full PDF, all-inclusive, submissions should be approximately 150-300 double-spaced pages (37,500- 75,000 words). 

          Any length submission will be considered.

• Collections of short fiction are AOK.
• Include, in the Cover Letter section of our submission manager ONLY, a brief letter with the title of your work and your contact info, as well as a brief bio. If you wish, you may also include info about your web and social media presence, but this is not required. Your name and contact information SHOULD NOT appear anywhere in the manuscript–we only want your name in the Cover Letter section itself. (Note: If your name appears in the text, change it / falsify it / cut it—if your name appears ANYWHERE in the manuscript, your entry may be disqualified.)
• Use a legible, 10- to 12-point font like Times New Roman or Garamond.
• We are unable to consider revised versions of manuscripts during the contest, though the winner will have the opportunity to revise before publication.
• Multiple submissions by the same author are fine, but you must pay a $20 entry fee for each submission.
• Simultaneous submissions are also fine, but please let us know immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
• Collaborative manuscripts written by more than one author are fine, too. Fine, fine, fine.
• The manuscript must consist of your original writing—specifically, content produced by generative AI tools is not allowed.

Process: The judges will read all submissions incognito to ensure the maximum level of fairness and select 6-12 finalists. The finalists will then be forwarded along to the final judge, Button’s Founder and President, Sam Van Cook, who will select a winner. All finalists will be considered by the Editors for publication.  

For questions, email contest@buttonpoetry.com.