To wrap up 2025 and welcome in 2026, we at Palette Poetry will be running our inaugural Rejection Poetry Prize! 

Rejection is a universal experience that all writers must face in their career. It is valid to feel disappointed, or even gut-wrenched, when the work we pour our hearts into is turned away (once again). But how we proceed after being rejected—our actions and attitude—is what defines us as writers. The aim with this prize is to reframe rejection as a stepping stone in your poem’s journey. Every journal or magazine you submit to, every rejection you receive, every time you make an effort to put your art out into the world, you are building towards a masterpiece that grows ever more saturated in actuality.

We are ecstatic to announce Mai Der Vang as our judge for this prize. Mai Der Vang is the author of Primordial (Graywolf Press, 2025), Yellow Rain (Graywolf Press, 2021), and Afterland (Graywolf Press, 2017). Her honors include the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets, an American Book Award, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the First Book Award from the Academy of American Poets, among others. The recipient of a Guggenheim and Lannan Literary Fellowship, she teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Fresno State and currently serves as the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State University.

“I could start by listing every trite piece of wisdom there is about rejection, from ‘it happens to everyone’ to ‘it keeps you humble’ to ‘it’s not personal,’ but I’ll spare you. While these things may be true, perhaps the most important consideration is what you choose to do with the experience of having been rejected. Does it compel you back to the page to bring a fire you hadn’t yet felt, or does it make you retreat from the page altogether? I would love to see poems that redefine what rejection means to you, or poems that have moved out of dormancy and are ready to be re-received by the world. I want poems that you stand by and put your faith in because you know they deserve a home. That said, there is already enough to feel excluded from and rejected by in our current world. Don’t let rejection dishearten you in the short term. Writing is about building up stamina for the long game, and there is so much more beautiful work ahead.”

—Mai Der Vang

Submissions are open from December 8, 2025 – February 8, 2026. Palette’s editors will choose the ten finalists and any honorable mentions that warrant extra attention. Our judge will then select the winner and runners-up for publication. The winner will be awarded $3,000, publication, and a brief interview in Palette Poetry. Second and third place will receive $300 and $200, respectively, as well as publication. Finalists may also be considered for publication in our Featured Poetry category.

We invite you to revisit your rejected poems, breathe new life into them, and give your writing a second chance of finding a home at our magazine.

Submission Guidelines: Please read carefully!

• For this prize, we are only accepting poems that have been submitted to and rejected by literary magazines, journals, or contests that offer publication as a prize. Poems rejected from blogs or publications intended for a private audience are not eligible. (For example, a rejected poem for a zine that is not publicly distributed would not be eligible for this prize.)
• If you are selected as the winner for this prize, we will ask where your poem has been rejected from previously.
• Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—inclusion of other languages is welcome, as long as the poem is largely written in English. At this time, Palette does not accept translated work unless you are also the author of the original poem.
• Your submission must be no more than three poems and under ten pages. Please submit all your poems in ONE document. Please begin each poem on a new page and include each poem’s individual title.
• We do accept multiple submissions (of one to three poems apiece), but each submission must include the $20 reading fee.
• Writers from historically marginalized groups are invited to submit for free until we reach the fifty free entries budgeted for this particular contest. 
• We accept simultaneous submissions—just please send us a note if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere.
• We are only accepting unpublished work. If your poem has been published elsewhere, even on a blog or on social media, it is not eligible.
• DO NOT INCLUDE your name or identifying information in the document OR submission title box.
• Please include a brief cover letter in the cover letter box with your publication history, if any. This text box is where you can include your name and/or bio! If you select the editorial feedback option, this cover letter is also where you can name which poem you’d like feedback on. To safeguard our reading staff, please include content warnings in the cover letter, if applicable, as well.
• Review our FAQ page for frequently asked questions.
• NOTE: If after submitting you notice an error in your submission, please message us rather than withdrawing and resubmitting your submission. We can open it to editing once so you can correct the error.
• Palette Poetry does not accept AI-produced work.
• Contest closes February 8, 2026. Submitters will be notified of their submission status within twelve weeks of the contest closing date.

Discount for Submitters

As a thank you for your support for Palette, we’d like to offer a 10% off discount code on a writing class from The Writing Salon. Find a class and use the code included in the confirmation message at checkout.

Editorial Feedback Option

This option costs $59 and will provide you with two pages of detailed and actionable feedback on a poem of your choice from the submission, including suggestions for future submissions. The three-letter option costs $149 and will provide you with six pages of detailed and actionable feedback on a poem of your choice from the submission, including suggestions for future submissions, from three separate guest editors. Our guest editors are paid a significant portion of the fee and are all incredibly astute poets.

To wrap up 2025 and welcome in 2026, we at Palette Poetry will be running our inaugural Rejection Poetry Prize! 

Rejection is a universal experience that all writers must face in their career. It is valid to feel disappointed, or even gut-wrenched, when the work we pour our hearts into is turned away (once again). But how we proceed after being rejected—our actions and attitude—is what defines us as writers. The aim with this prize is to reframe rejection as a stepping stone in your poem’s journey. Every journal or magazine you submit to, every rejection you receive, every time you make an effort to put your art out into the world, you are building towards a masterpiece that grows ever more saturated in actuality.

We are ecstatic to announce Mai Der Vang as our judge for this prize. Mai Der Vang is the author of Primordial (Graywolf Press, 2025), Yellow Rain (Graywolf Press, 2021), and Afterland (Graywolf Press, 2017). Her honors include the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets, an American Book Award, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the First Book Award from the Academy of American Poets, among others. The recipient of a Guggenheim and Lannan Literary Fellowship, she teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Fresno State and currently serves as the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State University.

“I could start by listing every trite piece of wisdom there is about rejection, from ‘it happens to everyone’ to ‘it keeps you humble’ to ‘it’s not personal,’ but I’ll spare you. While these things may be true, perhaps the most important consideration is what you choose to do with the experience of having been rejected. Does it compel you back to the page to bring a fire you hadn’t yet felt, or does it make you retreat from the page altogether? I would love to see poems that redefine what rejection means to you, or poems that have moved out of dormancy and are ready to be re-received by the world. I want poems that you stand by and put your faith in because you know they deserve a home. That said, there is already enough to feel excluded from and rejected by in our current world. Don’t let rejection dishearten you in the short term. Writing is about building up stamina for the long game, and there is so much more beautiful work ahead.”

—Mai Der Vang

Submissions are open from December 8, 2025 – February 8, 2026. Palette’s editors will choose the ten finalists and any honorable mentions that warrant extra attention. Our judge will then select the winner and runners-up for publication. The winner will be awarded $3,000, publication, and a brief interview in Palette Poetry. Second and third place will receive $300 and $200, respectively, as well as publication. Finalists may also be considered for publication in our Featured Poetry category.

We invite you to revisit your rejected poems, breathe new life into them, and give your writing a second chance of finding a home at our magazine.

Submission Guidelines: Please read carefully!

• For this prize, we are only accepting poems that have been submitted to and rejected by literary magazines, journals, or contests that offer publication as a prize. Poems rejected from blogs or publications intended for a private audience are not eligible. (For example, a rejected poem for a zine that is not publicly distributed would not be eligible for this prize.)
• If you are selected as the winner for this prize, we will ask where your poem has been rejected from previously.
• Submissions are open internationally, to any poet writing in English—inclusion of other languages is welcome, as long as the poem is largely written in English. At this time, Palette does not accept translated work unless you are also the author of the original poem.
• Your submission must be no more than three poems and under ten pages. Please submit all your poems in ONE document. Please begin each poem on a new page and include each poem’s individual title.
• Writers from historically marginalized groups are invited to submit for free until we reach the fifty free entries budgeted for this particular contest. 
• We accept simultaneous submissions—just please send us a note if your work is accepted for publication elsewhere.
• We are only accepting unpublished work. If your poem has been published elsewhere, even on a blog or on social media, it is not eligible.
• DO NOT INCLUDE your name or identifying information in the document OR submission title box.
• Please include a brief cover letter in the cover letter box with your publication history, if any. This text box is where you can include your name and/or bio! If you select the editorial feedback option, this cover letter is also where you can name which poem you’d like feedback on. To safeguard our reading staff, please include content warnings in the cover letter, if applicable, as well.
• Review our FAQ page for frequently asked questions.
• NOTE: If after submitting you notice an error in your submission, please message us rather than withdrawing and resubmitting your submission. We can open it to editing once so you can correct the error.
• Palette Poetry does not accept AI-produced work.
• Contest closes February 8, 2026. Submitters will be notified of their submission status within twelve weeks of the contest closing date.

Discount for Submitters

As a thank you for your support for Palette, we’d like to offer a 10% off discount code on a writing class from The Writing Salon. Find a class and use the code included in the confirmation message at checkout.

Dear poets,
The 2019 Diversity in Publishing survey found that, on average, 80% of decision-makers in the publishing industry are white. This inevitably creates systematized discrimination in terms of who gets published—without active and deliberate measures, people of color will continue to be marginalized. Important, innovative voices will continue to be passed over and dismissed.
We at Palette Poetry hope to use our platform to actively begin demolishing the discriminatory systems that pervade the publishing industry.  To that end, we welcome Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of color (BIPOC) to submit through this category for a quick decision made directly by the editors. We'll do our best to return a decision on your poetry within 2-4 weeks.


Sending every good wish your way,
The Palette Poetry team


Guidelines:

• Submissions of unpublished poems are open internationally, for historically marginalized BIPOC writers ONLY. 
• We accept simultaneous submissions, but please send us a message via Submittable if your work is picked up elsewhere.
• Submissions must be no more than 5 poems and must not exceed 10 pages.
• We do not accept multiple submissions. Please submit all your poems in ONE document.
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history, if any.
• Expect 2-4 weeks for a response.
• Publication in our Featured Poetry series includes a $50 per poem payment.