The Massachusetts Poetry Festival First Poem Contest Mass Poetry

THE MASSACHUSETTS POETRY FESTIVAL FIRST POEM CONTEST

About the Contest:

The 2027 Massachusetts Poetry Festival returns to downtown, Salem, MA, July 31 and August 1, 2027. The Festival’s opening headline event will open with the reading of the winner and honorable mentions from this contest, who will also be invited to attend the Festival and read in person if they are able. Otherwise, another poet will read on their behalf. 1st place comes with a prize of $250. Two honorable mentions will be awarded $50 each. Any additional number of poems may be longlisted at the judge's discretion. The names of our winners and the text of the winning poems will be published on the Festival website.The contest will be open from August 15, 2026 to March 15th, 2027.

This contest is open to all New England writers or writers who have previously lived or worked in New England.

Guidelines:

Please submit 1 original poem in .pdf or .docx format. There are no restrictions on length or poetic style. If you wish to submit multiple poems, you may make multiple entries. Please do not include your name in the document. For this year's contest, previously published poems are eligible, so long as you individually retain the rights to the poem and can grant Mass Poetry the rights shown below. Submissions are open until March 15, 2027. Winners will be notified by mid-May.

Please send only your own creative work unless you are assisting or representing a poet with their full consent and knowledge, and include their contact information and details in the submission cover letter.

Cost:

The submission fee is $10 per entry. This fee helps supports Mass Poetry and helps us Fundraise for the Festival. For students and those for whom $10 represents a barrier, a free submission option is available..

Judge:

This year’s guest judge is to be announced.

Mass Poetry asks for the non-exclusive rights to publish and archive the winning poem, all or in part, on our website, social media, print, or for any marketing purpose. All other rights remain with the poet.

Previous Winners:

In 2025, the guest judge was Salem Poet Laureate, J.D. Scrimgeour

Winner:

• Anna Deloia, "love poem in the form of a lesson plan."

Honorable mentions:

• “Afterlife” by Theadora Siranian
• “New Neighbors” by Amy Rothschild.

Longlisted:

• Janet Aalfs, “Closer Than Skin” by Janet Aalfs
• Kristin Marie, “I come from a line of women”
• Gray Davidson Carroll, “Western Mass”
• Carmen Barefield, “To my mother”

In 2023, a winning poem and two honorable mentions were chosen by guest judge Charles Coe

Winner:

• Susan Michele Coronel, "When My Mother’s Hands Were Called"

Honorable mentions:

• Sam Moe, "Back When the Deer Were Horses and the Horses Were Rivers"
• Nnandi Samuel, "A Boneyard of Flesh// Post-War Trauma"

In 2021, three winning poems were chosen by guest judge Dara Barrois/Dixon (former Dara Wier)

• Samn Stockwell of Barre, VT, “The Transmigration of Souls at the Donut Shop”
• Samantha DeFlitch of Portsmouth NH, “I am a Parking Chair”
• Emily Joan Cooper of Peabody, MA “Upon Quitting My Job”