National Federation of State Poetry Societies

NFSPS, Inc. is a nonprofit organization exclusively educational and literary. Its purpose is to recognize the importance of poetry with respect to national cultural heritage. It is dedicated solely to the furtherance of poetry on the national level and serves to unite poets in the bonds of fellowship and understanding.

Honorary Chancellors  (past 30, in order of appointment)

NFSPS 2026 Contest Rules
(Read carefully. Any violation will disqualify entry.)

1.  Any poem submitted must:
2. Be the original work of the contestant, and unpublished in any form, including digitally or placed on exhibition elsewhere. Award will be recalled if a winning poem is found to be in violation of rules before publication in the NFSPS anthology of prize poems, and lower prizes and honorable mentions will move up in classification.

1. Be written in English, be titled, unless poem is a form that is traditionally untitled (e.g. haiku, lune, etc.).
2. Have a 40 line limit for all contests not stating line limit. Line limit includes every line, both printed and blank. A one line title and its following space is not counted in line limit. Specific forms (rondeau, sonnet, villanelle, etc.) should follow required format spacing and line limits.
3. Be typed, photocopied or computer generated (not hand-written or hand-printed) and without illustration.

1. Poets give NFSPS exclusive first printing rights to all poems entered in the NFSPS annual contests. Poems winning cash prizes will be printed in Encore, the NFSPS anthology, and at the discretion of the Editor. Editor reserves the right to alter line breaks in poems having more than 50 characters per line, including punctuation marks and spaces. Printing rights revert to the poet after the anthology is published (approx. August of 2026). All prize winners will be notified, the winner list printed in the August Strophes, and others may obtain a list of winners in August 2026 by sending $2 and a #10 SASE to:

   Julie Cummings, Strophes Editor

   5858 Pintail Way, 

   Frederick, CO 80504-9668

Submitted poems are not returned, poets should retain copies.

1. An eligible poem may not be withdrawn after submission. No simultaneous submissions. Entries must be exclusive to this contest. Work submitted here must not be under consideration in any other contest, competition, or publication at the same time. Please do not submit the same entry elsewhere until you have received the final results of this contest.
2. Except as indicated in the NFSPS Founders Award  (Cat. 1), contestants may submit only one entry in any contest, and may not submit the same poem in more than one contest.
3. Enclosed check or money order must be made payable to NFSPS, Inc (initials are sufficient) and not to an individual.

1. Non-members may enter most contests at $1 each (except $10 for each entry in the NFSPS Founders Award). Non-members may not enter contests marked with an asterisk (*) and which are designated members only.
2. Members may enter up to 10 contests for $1 per poem or $10 total for entry in more than 10 contests (except the NFSPS Founders Award which is $5 per poem).
3. Entrants from outside the U.S. must send checks drawn on U.S. banks or branches, payable in U.S. funds, or send U.S. currency.
4. First prize winner in the NFSPS Founders Award (Cat. #1) is not eligible to enter that category the following year.
5. Judges will be selected by NFSPS, Inc. No ties will be awarded. Decisions of the judges will be final.
6. When to submit:
7. Start date - Entries must not be postmarked prior to January 1, 2026.
8. Deadline - Entries must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2026.
9. Individuals are "Members Only" eligible if a paid-up member of an NFSPS state society and listed in that society's membership roll. State societies must remit their annual dues by January 15, 2026, and update their membership information as required by March 15, 2026. Dues and membership list must be sent to:

            Linda Harris, NFSPS Treasurer

            49512 SE Weber Road, Sandy, OR 97055-7425

Updated info may be sent via email:
            Treasurer@nfsps.net

1. How to submit poems via US Postal Service:
2. Send two copies of the poem on 8.5 X 11 white paper (no onion skin or tissue) in black ink, single-spaced. If poem requires more than one page, staple together at the top left corner all pages of each copy.
   On both copies, place number and name of contest in upper left corner.

1. On second copy only, put name, address, phone number, email address (if available), and state poetry society membership (or "non-member of NFSPS") in upper right corner. If a poem requires more than one page, also number pages on upper right corner of both copies.
2. Separate originals from duplicates. Stack in numerical order (1-50) with original on top. Count them.
3. Include an 8.5X11 cover sheet with poet's name, address, phone number, email (if available), and state poetry society membership (or "non-member of NFSPS"). List category numbers and poem titles for each contest you are entering. List total number of poems sent. Do not staple to entries or to entry fee.
4. If entering by mail, mail all entries at one time, unfolded, in a large envelope, include the cover sheet and entry fee. Mail to the Contest Chair by First Class, Priority Mail, or any form of delivery that does NOT require a signature upon receipt. Mail entries to:

2026 NFSPS Contest Chair

C/O Julie Cummings
5858 Pintail Way

Frederick, CO 80504-9668

NFSPS, Inc. will not assume mailing costs and will not be responsible for any entries lost or delayed in the mail.

1. You may also enter via Submittable.com. This mode of entry is encouraged. In Submittable there are two separate entry fee transactions: one for Category #1 and one for Categories #2 through #50. If entering Category #1 plus any other Category, there will be two payment forms, pay attention to your payment details. Do not put your name in your file name or on your poem. 

Failure to remit entry fees timely (by March 15, 2026) will result in a disqualified submission.

Literary Standards. While we honor the First Amendment right of free speech, be aware that any profanity used must be necessary to the literary integrity of your poem. Our judge will view the gratuitous use of profanity as a crutch for shoddy craftsmanship or as cliché that has lost its shock value. The NFSPS will not give prizes for, nor publish work, that perpetuates derogatory stereotypes, nor will it accept work that is obscene, prurient or sexually graphic, hate-mongering, or abusive of any social, racial, ethnic, religious, or gender group.

For information on the following, email or send a #10 SASE to the appropriate Chair (addresses at www.nfsps.net):

NFSPS Contest Rules

2026 Contest Chair: ~ ContestChair@nfsps.net

Barbara Stevens Poetry Manuscript Competition
Eleanor Berry ~ stevenschair@nfsps.net

College Undergraduate Poetry Mss. Competition

Jessica Temple ~jessica.temple@nfsps.net

BlackBerryPeach (BBP3) Awards

Kelsey Bigelow ~ Kelsey.bigelow@nfsps.net

Co-Membership Coordinators
Susann Moeller ~ smoeller@nfsps.net

Russell Strauss ~ RSTRpoet@cs.com