The Foster Poetry Prize 2025

Location
Online submission to Contemporary Verse 2 (Canada; open internationally)

Open to
Emerging poets of any age, Canadian or international, who have not published a full-length book of poetry (chapbooks permitted). Proof of publication history may be requested.

Application Fee
• $35 CAD for the first entry (includes a 1-year CV2 subscription; U.S. subscription is 9 months/3 issues; international subscription is 3 months/1 issue)
• $20 CAD for each additional entry

What’s Provided
• $1,000 CAD grand prize
• Cash prizes for second place, third place, and honourable mention
• Publication of winning poems in Contemporary Verse 2 with payment to authors

What the Applicant Must Cover
• Entry fee(s)
• Submit 1–2 poems (up to 80 lines total; Early Bird entries may add a third poem of up to 28 lines)
• Format on 8.5″ × 11″, single-spaced, 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred)
• File format: .doc, .docx, or .rtf (no PDFs)
• No identifying information in the file; provide contact details and titles in the Submittable form

Duration
Submissions open Oct 1 – Nov 1, 2025
Early Bird: Submit by Oct 1, 2025 to include one extra poem (free)

Deadline
Final deadline: November 1, 2025
Winners notified January 2026

Other Essential Notes
• All work must be original, unpublished, and not entered in any other contest for which it could win a prize.
• Submissions accepted only online through Submittable; email or postal submissions are not accepted.
• Maximum of two submissions per person per year; only one submission at a time.
• For technical help, contact submissions@contemporaryverse2.ca.