Colorado’s Cantor Poetry Prize Contest Enters 9th Year!
Guidelines | File Format | Entry Form & Fees
(click to jump to a specific page section)
CANTOR PRIZE GUIDELINES
For those who have submitted in the past, note that some details have changed. Please read carefully. For questions, contact us at art@tellurideinstitute.org.
Eligible poets can submit to both contests, but not with the same poems.
Failure to follow guidelines will disqualify a poem and no refund will be given. An opportunity to correct a disqualified submission may be given, but a $10 disqualified submission handling fee will be imposed.
Eligible Poets
This is a Colorado poetry contest open to Colorado writers of all ages writing on any subject, OR to English language writers of any state or country submitting a poem specifically about Colorado. International mail costs of money transfers will be borne by any international winners. All styles and subject matter are welcome, but please acquaint yourself with past winners to get some idea of what poems succeed as winning entries.
Judge & Prizes
Our final judge will be New Mexico poet Scott Andrew Nicolay. Prizes include $1000 first place award and five $250 finalist awards.
Rights & Permissions
COPYRIGHT:
As a condition of submission to the Cantor Prize Contest, the submitting poet affirms that they own the copyright to the poem submitted, and that it is an original work created by the submitting poet. They permanently grant the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds Program (TGPP) the permission to publish the submitted poem on its website and in any future anthology, should one be created, unless alternate written arrangements are made with the program. All other rights revert to the poet.
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK:
Previously published poems in print or online are permissible as entries, so long as the poet retains the copyright and the poem has not been a winner in another contest. All entries must include previous publication information in the poem text and any poems published by TGPP will include attribution to the previous publication entity.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS:
Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but acceptance at another site or contest can NOT be a reason to withdraw poem from consideration or limit website or anthology publication by the Fischer Contest without written permission from TGPP. Fees will not be refunded.
Snail Mail Fees & Submissions
For those without even public access to computers, query about a mail-in option. Write Talking Gourds Poetry Program, P.O. Box 160, Norwood CO 81423. An extra $10 mail-in handling fee will must be included along with required contest and feedback fees (if applicable) — with both checks made out to the Telluride Institute (with a bottom left note “for the Cantor contest”).
Feedback
- We feel strongly that we like to offer an option for feedback for those interested in learning from whatever ranking their poem(s) achieved in the preliminary and/or final judging.
- Feedback from our Director will share how your poem stacked up in the contest ranking — and possibly with input from our judges and possibly offering some constructive comments
- A surcharge of $10 per poem will be assessed for this feature
- Submissions for feedback must be digital and current contact information must be emailed to art@tellurideinstitute.org if any changes have happened to that information since submission
- Given our limited staff and the Director’s age and health issues,, feedback may take a while, and even spill over into 2027. But all feedback promised will be sent
Judging
We have an eight-step review process. Finalists from the pre-review process will be sent anonymously to the final Judge for selection of a winner and of outstanding finalists.
- Contest winner and outstanding finalists — 6 poems selected
- Finalists – 50+
- Semi-finalists – 100+
- Contenders
- Entries that came close
- Entries of some interest
- Entries with glimmers
- Heartsong entries (we honor all who share their heartsongs with us)
Deadline
Submissions must be received online or in P.O. Box 160 by midnight the 31st of August 2026.
Winners
Winners and finalists will be notified privately usually by mid-October at the latest. A public announcement will be made on the TGPP website sometime in mid -to late October. Winners and finalists will receive their checks in the mail, although we are trying to arrange a public award ceremony in Colorado in 2027 for the Fischer and Cantor Prizes.
POEM FILE FORMAT & NAMING
Poem File Format
Each poem must be submitted in a separate .doc or .docx file. No .pdf or other file formats allowed. No multiple poem files will be allowed. Each file should have no names or identifying info within the entry file’s text. Make sure that only the file name will identify the author of the poem (see below for important file naming guidelines).
Length: 125 lines including spaces total / No more than three pages per poem
Typeface: 12 point San Serif (Arial or Calibri preferred)
Poem File Naming: VERY IMPORTANT!
Only the file name will identify the author of the poem. Each poem file should be named following this exact format (improperly named files will be disqualified):
- Up to the first ten letters of the poet’s last name with the first letter of the last name capitalized
- An entry’s one or two word poem title of up to ten letters with the first letter of the title capitalized
- Follow the poet’s name and the poem title (10+10 letters, or less) with the capitalized initial C for “Cantor” entry
- Follow the “C” by the last two numbers of the contest year submitted (26)
- If feedback is requested and paid for on a poem, a lower-case “fb” ought to follow the “C26” and be the last two letters of the string
– For example, if Art Goodtimes were submitting his poem Kinship for this year’s Cantor contest, the file name sent to us would look like this: GoodtimesKinshipC26
— If he wanted Feedback, the file name would look like this: GoodtimesKinshipC26Fb
– Gary Snyder’s “Prayer To The Great Family” would look like: SnyderPrayertoC26
– Marge Piercy’s “To Be Of Use” would look like: PiercyTobeC26
– Al Foy’s “Dog” would look like: FoyDogC26
— and if he wanted Feedback, it would look like: FoyDogC26Fb
CANTOR PRIZE ENTRY FORM & FEES
Complete Submissions Only
All requests for information on the Entry Form must be completed. Payment is required on submissions at the time of completion of the Entry Form. Incomplete submissions will be disqualified with the forfeiture of all fees, unless you are notified by email of an incomplete submissions and offered a chance to rectify by sending a resubmitted completed entry via postal mail with a check for $20 made out to TGPP with a note “incomplete and handling fees” ($10 for incomplete fee and $10 for postal handling). Click on the Submit & Pay Button when finished.
Poem File Format & Naming
Make sure before you upload your poems that your files conform to our Poem File Format and Poem File Naming requirements (see File Format & Naming above).
Entry Fees
Base fee is $14 per poem. The third poem of three gets a $7 discount. Thus 2 poems are $28, 3 poems are $35, 4 poems $49, 5 poems are $63, 6 poems $70, et cetera in that sequence. Feedback is an additional $10 per poem, additional $20 for 2 poems, additional $30 for 3 poems, etc.
Entry Form
Click the “Entry Form” button below to complete your Cantor Prize Submission form and pay contest fees.
Back to the main Cantor Prize page.
