George Elliston Poetry Prize 2026*

Link to submission portal:  https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/george-elliston-poetry-prize-NJBi8

Submission Guidelines

• US poets, 18 and older, may enter. (Past/present members or critics are not eligible.)
• Maximum 3 unpublished poems. Use 12pt easily readable font such as Times New Roman or Ariel.
• Single spaced with no artwork or images included. Poems aided by AI are not eligible
• Each poem should be a maximum 40 lines or fewer not including space between stanzas or title.
• Enter through Duosama (free access with Duotrope) or email your word doc to gcwlemail@gmail.com with the poem titles in the subject line
• Entry fee: $10, payable through Duosama portal or Venmo @Joanne-Greenway-1.
• Entry deadline August 30^th, 2026
• This contest will be judged blindly. Entries with the poets identifying information are not allowed. ID info will be attached through your online entry or email.
• Pauletta Hansel, Cincinnati Poet Laureate Emerita will serve as final judge for this contest.
• Winners announced by October 1^st, 2026
• The top 3 poets will have their poems published on the GCWL website and be invited to read at a special event hosted by the Artifact in Cincinnati January 5th 2027.
• There will be 10 finalists with prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place ($250 / $100 / $50) and include a one-year membership in GCWL ($50 value) which includes at least 6 two-hour poetry workshops with established and award-winning poets and educators. 

About George Elliston

On Friday, November 12, 1930, a group of writers and musicians gathered by invitation at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William F. C. Tatman to consider forming a club for the purpose of exchanging critiques of poetry, short stories and articles submitted by members.  The Greater Cincinnati Writers League was formed and began meeting on the second Friday of each month. Almost 100 years later, it still does  but with a Poetry only focus.

The GCWL charter group, notably included George Elliston, an extraordinary figure in local literary history. Elliston was a pioneering newspaperwoman who wrote for the Cincinnati Times-Star for over 40 years. She refused to be confined to the social pages and was known for going to great lengths to get to the bottom of hard news stories. Throughout her life, her passion was poetry. Upon her death, it became known that she had privately amassed a personal fortune from real estate investments to the shock of friends because of her simple and thrifty way and bequeathed virtually all of it to the University of Cincinnati for the support of poetry. The George Elliston Chair on U.C.’s faculty position, as well as the reading room that bears her name continue to honor her.

*This contest is not affiliated with the University of Cincinnati