Career Builder - Best Lit Mags of 2025

a non-profit literary organization, primarily devoted to the publication of RHINO Poetry, an annual high-quality print journal featuring well-crafted, diverse poetry, flash fiction, and translations

RHINO Poetry is a nonprofit literary organization based in Evanston, Illinois, dedicated to publishing a high-quality annual print journal that features a diverse range of poetry, flash fiction, and translations. Established in 1976 as an outlet for members of The Poetry Forum workshops, RHINO Poetry has since expanded its scope to include emerging and established poets from across the United States and around the world. (en.wikipedia.org)

The journal is known for its eclectic editorial approach, seeking work that reflects passion, originality, and artistic conviction. Submissions are reviewed by a diverse group of editors who value well-crafted writing that uses language lovingly and surprisingly, encompassing both traditional and experimental forms. (rhinopoetry.org)

In addition to the print journal, RHINO Poetry offers several programs to engage with the literary community. These include the RHINO Reads! pop-up live lit event series, monthly RHINO Reviews online, and various awards such as the Founders’ Prize, Ralph Hamilton Editors’ Prize, and the Translation Prize. The organization also provides internships, fellowships, and awards to support emerging writers. (en.wikipedia.org)

RHINO Poetry is consistently ranked among the top literary journals for poetry in the United States. In 2024, it was ranked 41st in the top 100 literary magazines for poetry by Clifford Garstang. (en.wikipedia.org)

The organization's commitment to fostering a vibrant literary community is evident through its active participation in local literary events and causes, as well as its support for various literary initiatives. RHINO Poetry unequivocally supports the building of an anti-racist culture and condemns acts of hatred and bigotry. (rhinopoetry.org)

For more information about RHINO Poetry, including submission guidelines and upcoming events, visit their official website at 


## Recent Highlights from RHINO Poetry:
- RHINO

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RHINO Poetry

General call

Submit to Rhino's Founders' Prize!
We are open August 1 – October 1 for submissions for our annual Founders' Prize Poetry Contest.
** Please note: in order to allow our team of editors to read each submission with care, we cap our submissions for each month that our reading window is open.  Once we’ve reached our submission cap, the window will remain closed until the first day of the following calendar month. If we've not yet met our cap by October 1, we may elect to keep the contest open longer.
Our 2026 guest judge, Allison Joseph, lives in Carbondale, Illinois, where she is on the faculty at Southern Illinois University. Her most recent collections of poems are  Dwelling (Red Hen Press, 2025), Blue Streak (Glass Lyre Press, 2025) Lexicon (Red Hen Press, 2021, PBTS Best Book Award winner), Any Proper Weave (Kelsay Books, 2022), Speak and Spell (Glass Lyre Press, 2022), and Confessions of a Barefaced Woman (Red Hen Press, 2018). Confessions of a Barefaced Woman won the 2019 Feathered Quill Book Award and was a finalist for the 2019 NAACP Image Award. She was named Illinois Author of the Year for 2022 by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. Her poems have appeared in the New York Times and in the Best American Poetry Series. She is the widow of beloved poet and editor Jon Tribble.
The winner will receive $500.00, publication in the next issue and on a featured spot on our website, and a nomination for a Pushcart Prize. Two runners up will receive $100.00, as well as publication in the next issue and on a featured spot on our website. We occasionally nominate a runner-up for a Pushcart Prize. All contest submissions are considered for publication and the Ralph Hamilton Editors’ Prize.
What to send:
· 3-5 poems or lyric prose pieces (500 words or fewer), totaling no more than 5 pages, in a single, typed document (doc, docx, or pdf).
· a copy of the work in its original language if you are sending a translation; the translator is responsible for obtaining the author’s permission to use their material.
· your best version. Although we don't accept edits or revisions once you submit, we don't reject work on the basis of minor errors.
· unpublished work, which includes work that has appeared online, or work already accepted for publication in a chapbook, book, or elsewhere.
Withdrawal Procedures:
If you wish to withdraw part of your submission, contact us via the MESSAGE function on Submittable. (A note won't reach us, but a message will.)
If you use the withdraw button in Submittable, your entire submission is withdrawn.
We assume you are submitting simultaneously, but trust that you will withdraw your poem or packet promptly if accepted elsewhere. Please be a good citizen of the poetry community and notify us as soon as possible of a withdrawal.
No Artificial Intelligence (AI) Content:
We do not accept any writing or translations created with AI software because our publication is an outlet for human creativity. If your work consciously and purposefully quotes lines generated by AI software, as with an allusion to another text or publication, you must cite your sources.

RHINO Poetry

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Founders' Prize

Appears in collections