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The National Poetry Series Open Competition

A project of The National Poetry Series

About

The National Poetry Series seeks book-length manuscripts of poetry written in English by American residents or American citizens living abroad. Five winning poets will each receive a cash prize in addition to having a full-length manuscript published by a participating publisher.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. (Note: About 14% of publishers always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $35 (above average for publishers that charge).
Limited Demographic: Submissions are restricted to US residents and citizens.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 1978

Publication Medium

Print Publication Print Publication

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Faster
The National Poetry Series Open Competition's overall average response time is faster than most publishers.
More Challenging
The National Poetry Series Open Competition's overall acceptance rate is lower than most publishers.
More Responsive
The National Poetry Series Open Competition's overall rate of non-response is lower than most publishers.

Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: 48 - 64 pages.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

Professional advance (US$2000 or more) + No royalties Professional advance. No royalties. Details: USD $10,000.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

The National Poetry Series Open Competition Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 67 reports from 62 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
5 min | 76.9 mean avg | 70.0 median | 237 max days (40.9 std dev)
Responses
95.52 %
Acceptances:
0.00 % No publication has a 0% acceptance rate. This data is based on submission reports sent to Duotrope, and we have not received reports of any acceptances yet.
Rejections:
95.52 % (78.3 avg. days per rejection) | 3.1 % personal, 67.2 % form, 29.7 % unspecified | 3.0 % shortlisted
Non-Responses
0.00 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
-
Withdrawals
4.48 % (37.0 avg. days per withdrawal)
Pending
2 responses are pending (168 min | 168.0 mean avg | 168.0 median | 168 max days waiting | 1,446.8 std dev) from 2 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $35.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged within one day.
Most recent response reported was received on 04 Sep 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 21 Mar 2026.
Date compiled: 05 Sep 2026 12:02 UTC (less than a minute ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • For book publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 01 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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