2026 Pacific Spirit Poetry Prize
Location
Vancouver, Canada / PRISM international
Open to
Poets submitting original, previously unpublished poems. Up to three poems may be submitted per entry, with a maximum of 100 lines per poem.
Not open to students or faculty of the University of British Columbia’s Creative Writing Program, including incoming students who have accepted a place. UBC alumni cannot have taken a UBC Creative Writing Program course during the previous two years.
Winners of the previous year’s contest must wait one year before entering the category in which they won.
Application Fee
The standard entry fee is not stated in the provided text. Additional poems may be submitted using the Additional Entry option for $5.
Free entries are available for self-identifying Indigenous and Black writers. A number of free entries are also available for low-income writers.
What’s Provided
$1,500 grand prize
$600 runner-up prize
$400 second runner-up prize
PRISM international will purchase First North American Serial Rights for work accepted for publication.
What the artist/applicant must cover
Submit up to three poems per entry.
Poems must be original and previously unpublished in print or online.
Manuscripts must use 12pt serif font such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia, with regular margins.
The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript or in the filename.
Entries must be submitted under the entrant’s real name.
No images or photos should be included.
AI-assisted submissions are not accepted at any stage of creation.
Duration
Not applicable.
Deadline
November 1, 2026.
Any other essential notes
Entry fees are non-refundable, and revisions are not allowed after an entry has been received. Individual pieces may be withdrawn by contacting PRISM via Submittable.
PRISM international encourages submissions from writers of colour, writers with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ writers, and writers from other intersectional and marginalized groups.
Mail-in contest submissions are not being read until further notice. Contest entry fees no longer include an annual subscription.
