25th Anniversary Poetry Competition Rules & Submission Guidelines

Welcome to the Niagara Falls Poetry Project 25th Anniversary Poetry Competition, a juried competition with poems in any form, on the theme of Niagara Falls, (the waterfalls and/or the two cities), with a special award for the poem that best exemplifies the “Spirit of Niagara Falls.” Poems will be added to the website, and published in an anthology of Niagara poetry.

There will be a first place prize of $200, a second place prize of $100, and a third place prize of $50. In addition there will be a $200 prize for the the poem that best exemplifies the “Spirit of Niagara Falls.”

Niagara Falls Poetry Contest Rules

Theme:

• Niagara Falls (waterfalls & 2 cities) & Niagara River
  • Poems can be descriptive, philosophical, spiritual, historical, personal, or anything else as long as there is some connection to Niagara Falls, and not just a casual mention (see the NFPP website at https://niagarapoetry.ca to see the range of poetry accepted).
• There will be a first prize winner of $200, a second prize winner of $100, and a third prize winner of $50
• In addition, there will be a $200 prize for the poem that best captures the Spirit of Niagara Falls

Format:

• No AI generated poems
• Any poetical form accepted
• Maximum 100 lines
• English language or translation – judging will be on the English language translation, not the original language
• May be previously published or already on the NFPP site
• $5 entry fee, covers a maximum of 3 poems 
• No gratuitous sex, violence, racism, or hate speech
• Judges may not submit a poem to the contest, but will get a free entry on the website & in the anthology, and a free copy of the anthology

How to submit:

• Submit in both a standard editing format and as a .pdf
• Include a cover page with name, contact information, title, and biography, with an optional head shot (300 dpi minimum)
• No identifying information on poem page
• Optional Include an image illustrating the poem (min 300 dpi, 600 preferred, jpg), your copyright, copyright free, or from a place copyright can easily be obtained.
• Submit to poetrycontest@niagarapoetry.ca
• Submit payment through etransfer (preferred) or PayPal to poetrycontest@niagarapoetry.ca with message “Contest entry for [Your Name]”
• Once submitted the poem cannot be changed
• Contest closes at 11:59 pm August 15, 2026

By entering the contest you:

• Agree to have your poem published on the NFPP website & in the 25^th anniversary anthology, at the NFPP curator’s discretion (Not all entries will necessarily be published online or in the print anthology)
• Receive a 15% discount when ordering the print anthology
• Agree that the judges’ decision is final