Now in its 24th year, this contest seeks today’s best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,750 in prizes.

Please submit only one humor poem, up to 250 lines.

Prizes:

• First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)
• Second Prize: $500
• Third Prize: $250
• Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each
• Top 13 entries published online

Submit online. No fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. One poem only, please. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. No restriction on age of author. Both unpublished and previously published work accepted. Authors from all countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions).

This is a contest for humor poems, not serious poems. Serious poems will not be judged. The poem you submit should be in English. Inspired gibberish is also accepted (example).

No restriction on age of author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions). In addition to English, your poem may contain inspired gibberish. You may submit published or unpublished work. Please omit your name from your entries. We prefer 12-point type or larger. Please avoid fancy, hard-to-read fonts.

Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer.

In general, poems written with the aid of a text-generating AI such as ChatGPT are not eligible. However, if you have employed an AI in a way that gets really funny results, please email info@winningwriters.com for a ruling on the eligibility of your entry. You must get pre-approval from us before submitting work that employs an AI in any way. We are looking for signs of human ingenuity.

Read the winning poems from our 23rd contest. First time entering? We prepared this brief video to guide you. See also our short entry checklist, then click the button below to submit. The results of our 24th contest will be announced on August 15, 2025.