BRINK POETRY PRIZE +
BRINK PRIZE FOR HYBRID FICTION
BRINK POETRY PRIZE
The winner of this annual literary contest receives $500 and publication of a single poem in Brink's fall issue. The contest is judged annually by a different individual who is a noted professional in the literary field.
Contest Rules
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Full contest rules and guidelines are listed in the Submissions portal.
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The contest is open to all writers and artists who identify their work as poetry.
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Submit up to three previously unpublished poems per entrant (ten pages total).
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All entries will be read anonymously. Before you submit, please remove your name and any other identifying information from your submission.
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Family, colleagues, current students of or intimate friends with the judge or the editors are ineligible. Writers whose work has previously been published in Brink are ineligible.
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Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
Submission Dates and Submission Fee
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April 1 - April 30
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$25 non-refundable via Submittable
2026 POETRY PRIZE WINNER AND JUDGE
Cynthia Manick
Brink Poetry Prize Winner 2026 || she/her
Cynthia Manick is the author of No Sweet Without Brine (Amistad-HarperCollins, 2023), which received 5 stars from Roxane Gay and was selected as a New York Public Library Best Book of 2023. She is editor of The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry and author of Blue Hallelujahs.
Donika Kelly
Poetry Prize Inaugural Judge 2026 || she/her
Donika Kelly is the author of The Natural Order of Things, The Renunciations and Bestiary. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she is a Cave Canem graduate fellow and Pushcart Prize winner. She currently lives in Iowa City, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Iowa.
BRINK PRIZE FOR HYBRID FICTION
The winner of this annual literary contest receives $700 and publication of a their piece in Brink's fall issue. The contest is judged annually by a different individual who is a noted professional in the literary field.
The Brink Prize for Hybrid Fiction will be administered to the winner of a literary contest for one piece. The contest is judged annually by a different individual who is a noted professional in the literary field. The contest winner will receive $700 and their piece will be published in Brink Literary Journal’s spring issue.
Contest Rules
-
Full contest rules and guidelines are listed in the Submissions portal.
-
The contest is open to all writers and artists who identify their work as poetry.
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Submit up to 15 pages of work.
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All entries will be read anonymously. Before you submit, please remove your name and any other identifying information from your submission.
-
Family, colleagues, current students of or intimate friends with the judge or the editors are ineligible. Writers whose work has previously been published in Brink are ineligible.
-
Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
Application Dates and Fees
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Submissions open July 1 - 31
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$25 non-refundable via Submittable
2026 PRIZE FOR HYBRID FICTION JUDGE
Billy-Ray Belcourt
Brink Prize for Hybrid Fiction || he/him
Billy-Ray Belcourt is from the Driftpile Cree Nation in northwest Alberta, Treaty 8 territory. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Alberta. He is the author of This Wound is a World, NDN Coping Mechanisms, A History of My Brief Body, A Minor Chorus, Coexistence, and, most recently, The Idea of an Entire Life. He is an Associate Professor in the School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.