Submissions wanted (no-entry-fee writing contest, climate poetry) | $1,000 top prize
Added 2025-11-13 05:07:19 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: TREEHOUSE CLIMATE ACTION POEM PRIZE
Deadline: 15 November 2025
The Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize is given to honor exceptional poems that help readers recognize the vulnerable state of our environment.
Established in 2019 with generous support from Treehouse Investments, the prize will honor three poets. First place will receive $1,000; second place, $750; third place, $500; and fourth place, $250. In addition, all four poems will be published in the popular Poem-a-Day series, which is distributed to 500,000+ readers. Poems may also be featured in the award-winning education series Teach This Poem, which serves 40,000+ educators each week.
Submissions for the 2026 Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize will be accepted from September 15, 2025 to November 15, 2025. The judges are poet Craig Santos Perez and climate scientist Dr. Clara Deser.
GUIDELINES
Any poet who meets one of the below criteria on the date of the application deadline, in any given year, is eligible to apply:
U.S. Citizen
Resident of the United States for the ten-year period prior to the submission deadline, or
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Legal Permanent Status (LPS), or any subsequent categories designated by the U.S. authorities as conferring similar enhanced status upon non-citizens living in the United States.
Please note: By law the Academy of American Poets must report cash prizes awarded to individuals to the Internal Revenue Service. If individuals have a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the individual will receive a 1099. If the individual does not have an SSN or ITIN, the individual will receive a 1042 and could be subject to a withholding of a percentage of the cash prize.
The Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize is given to honor exceptional poems that help make real for readers the gravity of the vulnerable state of our environment at present.
Three poets will be honored. First place will receive $1,000; second place, $750; third place, $500; and fourth place, $250. In addition, all four poems will be published in our Poem-a-Day series, distributed to 500,000 readers. Poems may also be featured in our award-winning education series Teach This Poem, which serves 35,000 educators each week.
Poets may submit only one (1) poem for consideration.
The poem submission must be an original work and be previously unpublished.
The poem submission should not contain any information that would reveal the identity of its author.
Poems may be submitted in Spanish but must be accompanied by an English translation.
Performance or Spoken Word poets may submit an audio recording of their submission.
Poets are not eligible to apply if they have studied with the poetry judge in full-time accredited courses within the last three years.
Submissions are only accepted online through our submission manager, Submittable.
Entries must be uploaded to Submittable as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files. For entries by Performance or Spoken Word poets, most audio formats are accepted.
There is no entry fee.
The Academy of American Poets assumes no responsibility for poems not received due to user error. Applicants may verify the receipt of their submission by logging into Submittable.
Applicants may submit poems elsewhere simultaneously but must notify the Academy of American Poets immediately if the poem is accepted for publication by another publisher.
Current Academy of American Poets staff and Chancellors are not eligible to submit.
The Academy of American Poets cannot consider poem revisions during the course of the contest.
All applicants will be notified of the award results by email by April 30, 2026.
All correspondence concerning the contest should be addressed to the Academy of American Poets and sent to awards@poets.org.
The decisions of the Academy of American Poets as to eligibility are final. The Academy of American Poets reserves the right to withhold the prize in any given year.
PLEASE NOTE:
It’s the mission of the Academy of American Poets to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry. In furtherance of our mission, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity in our publications and programs, and expect and require the same from the poets with whom we collaborate.
All applicants and selected award recipients agree that, as part of their eligibility to receive the Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize, they will maintain the highest standards of fairness, decency and personal integrity, in the Academy’s sole discretion, including with adherence to all applicable laws and community values. The decisions of the Academy of American Poets regarding eligibility, both initial and throughout the award period, are final.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Submissions: Via Submittable
Website: https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/prizes/treehouse-climate-action-poem-prize
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