The American Poetry Review is dedicated to reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose. 

The American Poetry Review has been in continuous publication since 1972 and has presented the work of over 8,000 writers.

The American Poetry Review is dedicated to reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose. 

APR also aims to expand the audience interested in poetry and literature, and to provide authors, especially poets, with a far-reaching forum in which to present their work.

Who said that poets don't make money? Okay, we don't. But sometimes we do. Start with these amazing magazines paying highly competitive rates.

Lit Mags Paying Big Bucks for Poetry

Are there agents that rep poets? Of course there are! While your writing matters most, certain publications are shinier than others and help widen that toe-in-the-door space—like the ones below.

Poetry Magazines That Will Make Agents Notice You

The mags in this list are competitive and publish physical print editions, so you get the satisfaction of seeing your work in print: pocket-sized, book-like, tangible. Way cooler than you'd expect.

Reputable Lit Mags with Print Issues

Ultra-competitive magazines with one to two percent acceptance rates. They are competitive. They are choosy. But who doesn't love a challenge?

The 1% Club (Good Fuckin' Luck)

The top nonfiction lit mags in our database, ranked by how many users have bookmarked them.

The Ultimate List of Places to Submit Your Nonfiction

For the full list of 26 lit mags (plus Shannan's amazing analysis) check out our full Substack article here: https://subclub.substack.com/p/want-attention-on-social-media-submit-bf5

Want Attention on Social Media? Submit to These 10 Literary Magazines

Publications with verse selected for America's foremost poetry anthology. These journals consistently publish poetry representing the most significant contemporary verse across styles and approaches.

Lit Mags Featured in Best American Poetry Anthologies

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Journals that forward outstanding nonfiction to this respected anthology series founded in 1986. These publications identify exceptional essays that might reach the broader readership BAE provides.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best American Essays

A curated selection of publications that regularly submit work to this prestigious annual anthology showcasing 50 poems from emerging writers.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best New Poets

Identifies publications that put forward outstanding online work for this respected digital anthology established in 2006.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most competitive poetry literary magazines. These legendary publications are where only the best poetry gets through.

Most Competitive Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most popular poetry literary magazines. These outlets have maintained a significant presence in the world of poetry.

Most Popular Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most submitted-to poetry literary magazines. These publications have consistently attracted a high volume of poetry submissions.

Most Submitted-To Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Digital publications nominating outstanding essays and creative nonfiction for Best of the Net.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online journals that specifically champion poetry for Best of the Net consideration.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

The American Poetry Review

The Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize honors the late Stanley Kunitz’s dedication to mentoring poets. The winning poem will appear on the feature page of the September/October issue of The American Poetry Review, and the poet will receive a prize of $1,000. All entrants will receive a copy of the magazine. Poets may submit one to three poems per entry (totaling no more than three pages) with a $15 entry fee by May 15, 2026. No limit on number of entries per poet. Previous winners of the Kunitz Prize include Ocean Vuong, Alex Dimitrov, Nicole Sealey, and Jane Wong.

  	Guidelines
   	1. Poets must be under 40 years of age.
   	2. All entries must be previously unpublished poems.
   	3. Multiple entries are acceptable; however each entry must be accompanied by a reading fee.
   	4. Entry fee covers up to three poems, totaling no more than three pages.
   	5. Contest entries must be received on or before May 15, 2026.
   	6. Contest results will be announced by July 1, 2026.

Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize

In honor of the great American poet Gerald Stern, The American Poetry Review is happy to announce a new book award – The Stern Prize. 
The prize of $2,000 will be awarded in 2026, with publication by The American Poetry Review in partnership with Copper Canyon Press in 2027. The author will receive a standard book contract, with royalties paid in subsequent years. 
The prize is open to all poets age 50 and over, regardless of previous publication history. 
 A committee of editors and board members of The American Poetry Review will judge. APR complies with the CLMP Code of Ethics in the administration of this contest. 
 To be considered for the prize, submit a manuscript of 48 pages or more, single-spaced, paginated, with a table of contents and acknowledgments, with a $25 entry fee.
 • Manuscripts must be received by January 1, 2026. The winning author and all other entrants will be notified by February 28, 2026. The winning book will be published in April 2027. 
• You may simultaneously submit your manuscript elsewhere, but please notify us immediately if it is accepted for publication. Submission of more than one manuscript is permissible; each must be entered separately.
• The winning author will have time to revise the manuscript after acceptance, but please send no revisions during the reading period.

The Stern Prize

Poetry Submission

The American Poetry Review is dedicated to reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose. APR also aims to expand the audience interested in poetry and literature, and to provide authors, especially poets, with a far-reaching forum in which to present their work.

Please do not send previously published material. We strive to respond to all submissions within six months.

Prose Submission: Essays, Book Reviews, and Interviews

The prize of $3,000, with an introduction by the judge and distribution of the winning book by Copper Canyon Press through Consortium, will be awarded in 2027 with publication of the book in the same year. The author will receive a standard book publishing contract, with royalties paid in addition to the $3,000 prize. This year's final judge is poet Terrance Hayes.
Terrance Hayes’s newest books include a collection of poems, So To Speak (Penguin, 2023), a collection of essays, Watch Your Language (Penguin, 2023), American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin (Penguin, 2018) and To Float In The Space Between: Drawings and Essays in Conversation with Etheridge Knight (Wave, 2018). To Float In The Space Between was winner of the Poetry Foundation’s 2019 Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism; American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin won the Hurston/Wright 2019 Award for Poetry. Hayes is a Silver Professor of English at New York University.
The prize is open to poets who have not published a book-length collection of poems with a registered ISBN. Poems previously published in journals or limited-edition chapbooks may be included in the manuscript, but the entire manuscript itself must not have been published as a book-length work. Translations are not eligible nor are works written by multiple authors. The editors of The American Poetry Review will screen manuscripts for the judge. APR complies with the CLMP Code of Ethics in the administration of this contest. The judge will select a manuscript in an anonymous review process and will not award the prize to any writer whose personal relationship to the judge poses a conflict of interest.
To be considered for the prize, submit a manuscript of 48 pages or more, paginated, with a table of contents and acknowledgments.
Manuscripts must be received by October 1, 2026. The winning author and all other entrants will be notified by January 15, 2027.
You may simultaneously submit your manuscript elsewhere, but please notify us immediately if it is accepted for publication. Submission of more than one manuscript is permissible; each must be entered separately.
The winning author will have time to revise the manuscript after acceptance, but please send no revisions during the reading period.

The American Poetry Review

Highlights

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APR/Honickman First Book Prize

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