the 2026 oxford poetry prize

Oxford Poetry awards the annual Oxford Poetry Prize for a single poem in the English language. Submissions to the 2026 prize open on 1 May 2026. This year’s guest judge is Rowan Ricardo Phillips.

The winner of the 2026 Oxford Poetry Prize will receive £2,000, the runner-up £1,000, and the second runner-up £500. The prize-winning poets will also be offered publication in the print magazine. This year’s prize closes for entries at midnight utc on 31 August, 2026.

about this year’s guest judge

Rowan Ricardo Phillips is the author of Silver and Living Weapon, both published by Faber. He is poetry editor of The New Republic and editor of the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets. He is Presidential and Distinguished Professor of English at Stony Brook University, and lives in New York and Barcelona.

submission guidelines

1	Entries should consist of one poem per uploaded file. The only acceptable file format is pdf.
2	Entries are accepted through Submittable only.
3	Entrants have the option of submitting more than one poem as part of their submission (in separate files, as above). The submission fee for each poem is £10.
4	There is no limit to the number of poems an individual may submit.
5	Each poem may comprise no more than 60 lines. Blank lines, titles, subtitles, dedications, and epigraphs are not counted as lines.
6	All submissions are read blind. Therefore, please do not include your name or any identifying information in the documents you upload. You should include this information only in the Title or Cover Letter field of the Submittable form.
7	The competition is open to writers living anywhere in the world.
8	Poems submitted must be the entrant’s own original work, and must not have been generated, in whole or in part, by a chatbot or other artificial intelligence.
9	Poems submitted must not have been previously published elsewhere, in print or online (including, but not limited to, blogs, websites, and social media).
10	A limited number of free entries is available to low-income writers on a first come, first served basis.

terms and conditions

1	The 2026 Oxford Poetry Prize is organised by Partus Press Ltd on behalf of the magazine Oxford Poetry.
2	The competition is open to anyone age 18 or over on the date of their submission. Submission of a poem to the Oxford Poetry Prize constitutes the entrant’s acceptance of these terms and conditions. Entries that do not comply with these terms and conditions will be disqualified from the competition.
3	Entries are welcome from 1 May 2026. The deadline for submitting entries is midnight utc on 31 August 2026. Work received after that date will not be considered.
4	Entrants will be contacted with a response to their submission by the end of October 2026. All submissions will receive a response, though we cannot provide editorial feedback on unsuccessful entries. Winners and shortlisted entrants will be notified by email.
5	No correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.
6	The poem that receives first prize in the competition will be published in a print issue of Oxford Poetry. Oxford Poetry will have the exclusive right to publish the winning poem for four months from its first publication in the print magazine. After four months, the rights will revert to the author, who may publish the poem elsewhere with appropriate credit to Oxford Poetry, but Oxford Poetry will retain the non-exclusive right to publish the poem online and in print.
7	The second- and third-prize winners will be offered publication in a print issue of Oxford Poetry.
8	The first-place poet will receive a cash prize of £2,000. The runner-up will receive a cash prize of £1,000. The third-place poet will receive a cash prize of £500. All cash prizes will be paid out in full no later than 90 days after the public announcement of the judge’s decision. No individual entrant may receive more than one cash prize.
9	Partus Press Ltd reserves the right not to award the prizes, or to reduce or split the prize money if, in its opinion, such an action is justified for any reason.
10	All poems submitted must be written primarily in the English language. We cannot accept translations, unless you have translated your own work and the work in the original language has not previously been published in print or online in accordance with the terms outlined above.
11	Each poem costs £10 to submit. The fee is not refundable, even if the submission is later withdrawn by the submitter.
12	No changes or alterations can be made to poems once they have been entered into the competition.
13	Partus Press Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss, injury, or distress suffered by any person who has entered the competition.
14	Partus Press Ltd reserves the right to cancel the competition, or to amend the terms and conditions of entry, if the press deems it necessary or to account for circumstances beyond its control (in which case a notice will be posted on the Oxford Poetry website). If the competition is cancelled, paid entry fees will be refunded.
15	The entry must be the entrant’s own original work and must not infringe upon the copyright of any person or entity, nor may the entry have been generated, in whole or in part, by an artificial intelligence, chatbot, or other natural language processing software.
16	Each poem must comprise no more than 60 lines. Blank lines, titles, subtitles, dedications, and epigraphs are not counted as lines.
17	The following are disqualified from submitting to the prize: former editors of Oxford Poetry; the magazine’s current senior editorial team and members of their immediate family, including spouses/partners; family members, including spouses/partners, and current or past students of this year’s guest judge.
18	These terms and conditions apply equally to paid entries and unpaid entries entered under the low-income scheme.
19	In the event of a dispute regarding these terms and conditions, or any matter relating to the Oxford Poetry Prize, the decision of the organiser, Partus Press Ltd, shall be final.
20	The competition rules will be governed by English law and any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

the 2025 oxford poetry prize

The 2025 prize was judged by Rebecca Tamás. The winning poems were published in issue 100 of Oxford Poetry. First prize went to Hua Xi, second prize to Michael O’Ryan, and third prize to Kym Deyn.


The poets shortlisted for the 2025 prize were Vasiliki Albedo, Michelle Alexander, Elizabeth Atherton, Ingrid Brubaker, Heather Chapman, M. Cynthia Cheung, Camille Francois, Nasim Luczaj, Emily Pittinos, and Talin Tahajian. Read more.

the 2024 oxford poetry prize

The 2024 prize was judged by Rachel Long. The winning poems were published in issue 98 of Oxford Poetry. First prize went to AV Bridgwood, second prize to Afua Ansong, and third prize to Zain Rishi. There was also a commendation for Conan Tan.


The poets shortlisted for the 2024 prize were Claressinka Anderson, Roberto Salvador Cenciarelli, Rachel Curzon, Jordan Hamel, Sam Kerbel, Natalie Perman, Alison Tanik, Daniella Toosie-Watson, and Milena Williamson. Read more

the 2023 oxford poetry prize

The 2023 prize was judged by Will Harris. The winning poems were published in issue 96 of Oxford Poetry. First prize went to Miruna Fulgeanu, second prize to Jo Davis, and third prize to Eric Yip.


The poets shortlisted for the 2023 prize were Sheila Black, Caspar Bryant, Elena Croitoru, Caitlyn Klum, Vanessa Lampert, Clara-Laeila Laudette, Cassie Minicucci, Neha Mulay, Oluwaseun Olayiwola, Georgio Russell, Georgia San Li, Raine Thompson, and Matthew Woodman. Read more

the 2022 oxford poetry prize

The 2022 prize was judged by Emily Berry. The winning poems were published in issue 95 of Oxford Poetry. First prize went to Dominic Leonard, second prize to Linda Ravenswood, and third prize to Caleb Leow.


The poets shortlisted for the 2022 prize were Isabelle Baafi, Lily Blacksell, Kizziah Burton, Sarah Corney, Mark Fiddes, Jay Gao, Anastasia K. Gates, Brian Gyamfi, Laetitia Keok, Deborah Landau, Sara Pirkle, Ruby Silk, and Ruth Wiggins. Read more