ISSUE
159
EDWIN MARKHAM PRIZE
FOR POETRY
CONTEST SUBMISSIONS JUNE 1 – OCTOBER 1
$1,000 Prize
$20 Entry Fee
With an award of $1,000 for the winning poem, the Edwin Markham Prize honors outstanding works of poetry. Our taste is eclectic and celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet. Writers may submit up to five (5) poems per submission.
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Please be sure to:
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provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
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include a brief bio, up to 50 words
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save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
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single- or double-space text, and use any readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
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number pages
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submit up to five (5) poems in a single document
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check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
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The contest reading fee is $20, which includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed Magazine. (Submitters with US addresses on file will receive print copies of the journal, whereas those with international addresses may receive digital copies.) Multiple submissions are accepted as separate entries. Contest submissions not selected for final judging may still be considered for publication in the journal and/or online.​
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Edwin Markham Prize for Poetry submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.
Edwin Markham (1852-1940) was an important American poet, teacher, and social reformer who came to be known as the “dean of American poetry” and “the first real poet of labor.” He is best known for his work The Man with the Hoe, which is credited as an important part of the national discussion on labor conditions. Markham was a graduate of (and a life-long friend to) the California State Normal School, which later became San José State University. During his poetic career, he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters, established the Poetry Society of America, and served as the Poet Laureate of Oregon. His circle of friends included Jack London and Ambrose Bierce. Markham mentored writers in California as a schoolteacher, principal, and eventually the education superintendent of El Dorado County.
