The River Heron Poetry Prize
opens again March 1, 2026

The 2025 Poetry Prize Winners
will be announced on or before July 31, 2025

The River Heron Poetry Prize awards the winning poet $500
and 2 runners-up $200 each, a Zoom reading, plus publication. Two finalists
will also be announced and awarded a Zoom reading and publication.

• Submissions open March 1 through May 31.

• The winning poet will receive a $500 award and 2 runners-up $200 each, a Zoom reading, and publication in a special contest issue released on August 1. The 2 finalists will be awarded a Zoom reading and publication in the contest issue.

• It is our practice to read each submission without knowing the identify of the poet. Your name or initials are not to appear on any part of your poetry document. When naming your file, do not use your initials or any part of your name. Your submission will be assigned an auto-generated number by Submittable.

• Initial judging will be done by the editors of River Heron Review, Robbin Farr and Dawn Terpstra.

• Final judge is Jed Myers (www.jedmyers.com), winner of the 2024 River Heron Poetry Prize.

• Previous first prize winners are not eligible to enter the contest , nor are associates, friends, or students of the final judge.

• The poem of the winner and the poem of each of the finalists and runners-up will be published in a special contest issue on August 1.

• There is a $15 submission fee.

• Poets may submit up to 3 poems.

• Multiple submissions require an additional form and fee.

• Previously published poems are not eligible.

• Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Let us know immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere by sending us a message through Submittable.

• Submissions not adhering to our guidelines will not be considered.

• All submissions through Submittable.

Originality and Contest Integrity

By entering a River Heron poetry contest, all participants affirm that each submitted work is their own original creation, not previously published and not generated in whole or in part by artificial intelligence tools or copied from another source.

River Heron Review reserves the right to disqualify any entry, rescind recognition, or remove a winning piece from publication at any time if it is determined that the submission violates these terms. This right extends beyond the close of the contest and includes the ability to revoke awards if questions of originality or authorship cannot be satisfactorily resolved.

We may request verification of authorship when necessary. Entrants who cannot provide satisfactory proof may have their submissions disqualified without refund.

Council of Literary Magazines and Presses Contests Code of Ethics

CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.

River Heron Review is not funded by any university, college, or organization. We do not receive any grants.