the 2026 Poetry contest opens for submissions on December 1, 2025 and closes on February 28, 2026 – Prizes = $100 for each of three winning poems.
3rd Wednesday’s Annual Poetry Contest:
U.S and Canada Only (we don’t have a mechanism in place for international payments).
Winning poets and honorable mentions will receive a print copy of the contest issue. Non-prize poems will be considered for inclusion in the same or later issue of 3rd Wednesday as a regular submission unless the poet chooses not to have them considered (to preserve eligibility for other contests).
We will accept contest entries of up to 3 previously unpublished poems of any style and subject matter. Length is limited to no more than 32 lines for a single poem. Poems should be uploaded as a single .doc or .docx file with no identifying information within the text of the file. For poems with unusual spacing, do not use tabs. We do not set a limit on length, but remember that poetry is partly about compression. All entries must come through our submissions management portal at Submittable. If you are not already a Submittable user, registration is free. We will not accept entries by mail or email.
You may enter as many times as you like, but only three poems per entry.
To see previous winners and honorable mentions, you can download any of the Spring issues from the “Free Issues” menu item above.
Introducing this year’s contest judge: Marilyn L. Taylor
Marilyn, former Poet Laureate of the city of Milwaukee (2004 -2005) and the state of Wisconsin (2009 – 2010), is the author of six poetry collections. Her award-winning poems and essays have appeared in many anthologies and journals, including Poetry, American Scholar, Able Muse, American Life in Poetry, and Measure. She also served for five years as a regular poetry columnist for The Writer magazine. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she continues to write and teach.
Third Wednesday Magazine 