The Top 100: Most Challenging Poetry Publications

The following poetry publishers are among the Top 100 most challenging, according to responses reported by our users. (To qualify for this list, we must have received a minimum of 25 people reporting responses to poetry submissions, and at least one must have been an acceptance. "Fledgling" listings are not included.)
Note: The information on this page is updated once daily and may not reflect recent response reports or changes in status.

Title	Genres	Lengths	Payment	Media
Raleigh Review Charges fees for some submissions	Open to All/Most Genres General	Poem	Semi-pro payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Adroit Journal TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Ninth Letter Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Chestnut Review Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
32 Poems Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment Provides copies	Print Publication
The American Poetry Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Token payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Threepenny Review TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Glossy Planet Literary Magazine Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Frontier Poetry	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Orion's Belt	Fantasy Science Fiction	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Michigan Quarterly Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Unknown payment	Print Publication
The Orison Chapbook Prize (Orison Books) Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poetry Chapbook	Semi-pro advance + Unknown royalties Provides copies	Print Publication
River River Books TEMP CLOSED	General	Poetry Collection	Semi-pro advance + No royalties to < 15% royalties	Print Publication
Rattlecast Prompt Poems	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Dishsoap Quarterly	Open to All/Most Genres General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
EPOCH Magazine Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment	Print Publication
Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Image Journal Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Ploughshares Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Sun Magazine Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
the minnesota review	General	Poem	Non-paying	Print Publication
Rattle	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Redivider: A Journal for New Literature	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
New Letters Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem Poetry Chapbook	Unknown payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Washington Square Review	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication Print Publication
West Branch	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Lake Effect: An International Literary Journal	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
Bennington Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Print Publication
Copper Nickel Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Harbor Review (Small Harbor Publishing) TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
Colorado Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Print Publication
Palette Poetry	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
The Apple Valley Review	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Rattle Chapbook Prize Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poetry Chapbook	Professional payment Provides copies	Print Publication
New England Review Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Broad Ripple Review	General	Poem	Unknown payment	Electronic Publication
Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal @ Washington College (The Literary House Press) Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Chicago Quarterly Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
Kenyon Review	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
cream city review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
Ecotone Magazine Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment Provides copies	Print Publication
AGNI Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Passionfruit Review	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Mississippi Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Poets Respond (Rattle)	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
The Georgia Review Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Print Publication
Seneca Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
The 2River View Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Sixth Finch	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Slant Books Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poetry Collection	No advance + Unknown royalties	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Ninth Letter Web Edition	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Overheard Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poetry Collection	Semi-pro advance + Unknown royalties Provides copies	Print Publication
Waxwing Literary Journal TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Poetry Magazine (Poetry Foundation) TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
diode poetry journal	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Alaska Quarterly Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying	Print Publication
Hayden's Ferry Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Unknown payment Provides copies	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Fugue Literary Journal Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Black River Chapbook Competition (Black Lawrence Press) Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poetry Chapbook	Semi-pro advance + Unknown royalties Provides copies	Print Publication
Four Way Review (Four Way Books) Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Unknown payment	Electronic Publication
Rattle Poetry Prize Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Fahmidan Journal	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
Booth Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Willow Springs Magazine Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment Provides copies	Print Publication
Reed Magazine	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication Print Publication
The Greensboro Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Grain Magazine Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Print Publication
Free the Verse: Poetry Magazine	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
The Penn Review TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Bellevue Literary Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Print Publication
Pithead Chapel: an online literary journal	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
The Hopper Magazine Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
The Missouri Review Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
New Orleans Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Little Patuxent Review	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
The Maine Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
trampset	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
Wildness	General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
The Cincinnati Review TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Print Publication
New Delta Review Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Non-paying to Professional payment	Electronic Publication Video Publication
Spoon River Poetry Review	General	Poem	Non-paying Provides copies	Print Publication
The Plentitudes: A quarterly international literary journal Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication
DreamForge Magazine / DreamForge Anvil TEMP CLOSED	Fantasy Science Fiction	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Pleiades: Literature in Context TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Unknown payment	Print Publication
Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts Charges fees for all submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Audio Publication Electronic Publication Video Publication
Bluestem Magazine TEMP CLOSED	Open to All/Most Genres General	Poem	Non-paying	Electronic Publication
Tahoma Literary Review Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
The Iowa Review Charges fees for some submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment to Professional payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry (Beloit Poetry Journal) Charges fees for some submissions TEMP CLOSED	General	Poem	Professional payment	Print Publication
The Common: A Modern Sense of Place Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication Print Publication
Josephine Quarterly	General	Poem	Semi-pro payment	Electronic Publication
Haven Speculative Magazine TEMP CLOSED	Fantasy Science Fiction	Poem	Professional payment	Electronic Publication
Gavialidae Charges fees for all submissions	General	Poem	Professional payment	Print Publication

Remember: The more people who report their response times to us, the more accurate our statistics are. Please report your responses to us!

Date compiled: Saturday, September 12, 2026 7:31:21 AM UTC.