ENTER THE SLIPSTREAM
POETRY CHAPBOOK CONTEST
Deadline Jan. 1 Each Year
Slipstream's annual poetry chapbook contest offers a $1,000 prize
plus 25 professionally-printed copies of your book.
There is a $25 reading fee to enter the contest, which is handled through PayPal. Everyone who enters the competition receives both a copy of the winning chapbook plus an issue of Slipstream magazine.
WHAT TO SUBMIT:
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Submit up to 40 pages of poetry: any style, format, or theme (or no theme).
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Preferred file formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, and .pdf.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
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We ask that you please use Submittable to submit your manuscript. This is a free service provided to writers and artists to facilitate online submissions and correspondence. It just takes a few seconds to sign up.
TO SUBMIT BY MAIL:
If submitting your manuscript by U.S. Postal Service mail, please include a $25 check, bank draft, or money order for the reading fee. Due to the high cost of postage, manuscripts cannot be returned. Send only copies of your poems, not originals.
All contestants must provide a U.S. mailing address to participate.
Changes to a manuscript, once it has been submitted, are not allowed.
2026 Poetry Chapbook Winner
Sandra S. McRae
Sandra S. McRae, of Lakewood CO, is the winner of our 2026 Poetry Chapbook Competition for her manuscript, “The Insomniac's Zoo." McRae’s poetry books include all the way to just about there (FutureCycle Press) and The Magic Rectangle (Folded Word). Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Spoon River Poetry Review, Glass, Mid-Atlantic Review, Marathon Literary Review, and Mad Blood. She also co-authored the bestselling cookbook Weber’s Big Book of Grilling (Chronicle). A former Fulbright scholar, Sandra has been nominated for a Pushcart prize and co-edits the poetry journal Bristlecone. She teaches writing at Red Rocks Community College, at the University of Denver, and in workshops across the state of Colorado.