Looking for somewhere to submit your book of poetry, or just a few poems? Here”s a quick list of contests with deadlines coming up in the first half of October.

Women Poets at Barnard invites applications for the 2007 Barnard Women Poet”s Prize for an exceptional second collection of poems. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and publication of her manuscript by W.W. Norton & Co.

The prize is given for a book of poems by a woman who has already published one book of poetry (in an edition of 500 copies or more) and is seeking a publisher for her second collection.

A qualified applicant should submit two copies of her book-length manuscript with a cover letter naming the title and publisher of her first collection. Although a writer may submit a manuscript that has been submitted to other contests, any manuscript under option to another publisher is not eligible. (Please note that any entries that are encumbered will be disqualified.) Page-limit is not specified. Because the prize is given to a poet who has already published a first book the manuscripts are not read anonymously. Every qualified manuscript will be read with scrupulous care by the panel of judges and the chief judge, who changes every year.

The entry fee is $20, payable in check to Women Poets at Barnard. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2006. Winners will be contacted directly in the spring of 2007. If you wish to be notified of the contest results, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Please send manuscripts and fees to Women Poets at Barnard, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027. Email questions to Saskia Hamilton at shamilton(at)barnard(dot)edu.

The
Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship is awarded annually under the conditions of the will of Amy Lowell, who died in 1925. The conditions of the will established a trust that is used to support a gifted American poet traveling abroad for the year. The award this year is expected to be in the neighborhood of $47,000. For more informations and instructions for applying, see the full instructions page. The completed application must be received by the trust by October 15.

Since 1999, Poets Out Loud has sponsored an annual competition for a full-length poetry manuscript, published each spring by Fordham University Press. The POL Prize awards $1000, publication by Fordham University Press, and a reading by the winning poet and judge in the POL series at Fordham-Lincoln Center. This year”s judge for the POL prize is Alice Fulton. For application and entry guidelines, check the full guidelines. Entries must be received by October 31. There is a $25 entry and reading fee.

Margie: The American Review of Poetry awards the Margie Strong Medicine Award annually to a single poem. This year”s judge is Laurence Goldstein, award winning poet and editor of the Michigan Review. Entries must be postmarked by October 31. See the full contest rules and guidelines for more information.

The North American Review annually awards the James Hearst Poetry Prize. First prize is $1000 and publication. This year”s judge is Ted Kooser, former Poet Laureate of the United States. The NAR offers the following tips for submission:

We have noticed that long poems rarely do well… too much can go wrong in a large space. Poems that have reached the finalist stage in our competition in the past are typically one to two pages. Winning poems always balance interesting subject matter and consummate poetic craft. We value both free verse and formal poems in rhyme and meter… both open and closed forms.

Full information is available at the NAR website.