The 2026 Adrift Chapbook Contest
Timeline
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Submissions are open from March 1st until July 15th.
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Finalists and winner will be announced by Driftwood editors in November 2026.
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The winning chapbook(s) will be published in 2027.
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Guidelines
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Original poetry only. Prose poetry, experimental poetry, and poetry with a visual component (color images accepted) are all welcome. We do not accept written or visual works that are AI generated or plagiarized.
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15-40 pages of poetry (this does not include title, section break, or acknowledgement pages). We won't turn you away if you are a few pages over or under, but please stay close to that limit.
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A standard, 12-point font is preferred.
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Poems may have been published individually, but not as a part or whole of a collection. Please include an acknowledgements page listing all previously published poems.
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Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know immediately if the collection has been accepted elsewhere.
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Submit works written in English only, no translations.
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Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
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We read submissions blind, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself.
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Submission fee is $25.00 USD. Each submitter will receive a free copy of a Driftwood Press poetry chapbook of their choosing in the mail.
Awards
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The winner will receive $750 dollars and 20 copies of their chapbook.
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A print run of the winning chapbook will be sold on our website, through affiliate bookstores, and will be nationally and internationally distributed by Ingram & Asterism.
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The winner will also have the opportunity to be interviewed about their work; the interview will be published in the chapbook following the poems.
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The managing poetry editor may offer a runner-up full publication. If a runner-up is chosen, they will be awarded $350, 20 contributor copies, and the same level of marketing and distribution.
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Past Contest Winners
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​Guest Judge
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Diamond Forde is the author of two poetry collections, Mother Body (Saturnalia Books, 2021), a Kate Tufts Discovery award nominee, and The Book of Alice (Scribner Books, 2026), winner of the Academy of American Poets' James Laughlin Award.
