YellowJacket Press Chapbook
Contest for Florida Poets

Contest Info

Established in 2005, Yellow Jacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets is an annual contest open to all poets 18 and over who are permanent residents of Florida. The contest opens October 1st and had a postmark of December 1st of each year. The winner is announced by March 15th and receives $100 and 25 copies of his or her book. We generally publish two books per year, but with increased funding in the future, that number may also increase.

Submission Guidelines & Entrance Fee

How to know if we're a good fit for your work:

We suggest that you read the sample poems here in order to get a sense of the YJP aesthetic. Even better, order one of our books to see if your work is comparable in quality, and perhaps style. Read the biographical notes about each poet, and compare that information with your own.

What we do and don't publish:

We publish poetry chapbooks (small, unified collections of poetry) of no more than 24 pages. We do not accept previously published chapbooks or individual poems.

Manuscript Submission Do's and Don'ts:

We accept only paper manuscripts. We do not accept handwritten manuscripts, poems printed out from a website, or submissions via e-mail, although if your manuscript is selected for publication, we will ask you to submit the entire work to us as an e-mail attachment.

Poetry should be submitted single-spaced, no more than one poem per page. Clearly indicate any stanza breaks, especially when they occur at the end of a page, so that these breaks will be obvious to our editors.

Poetry chapbook manuscripts should be no longer than 24 pages, including title page and acknowledgments. The manuscript should be held together with a large clip. Do not bound your submission. While we do not accept previously published books, your manuscript may include individual poems which have been published elsewhere. In that case, include acknowledgments.

Though we will consider simultaneous submissions, please notify us if the manuscript is being considered elsewhere.

Other submission requirements:

Include a separate cover page with the title, your name, address, phone number and e-mail address, along with a brief bio note which includes the date you became a Florida resident. (This page does not count as one of the 24-page maximum.)

Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for our response. Manuscripts will not be returned. For this reason we strongly recommend that you retain copies of all the work you submit.

Entrance fee is $10.00.

Send check or money order made out to YellowJacket Press. Do not send cash. For copies of the previous winning books, send an additional $5.50 per book (1.00 discount for contestants) along with your submission.

Send submissions to:

Yellow Jacket Press Chapbook Competition
1410 E. Paris Street
Tampa, Fl 33604

For inquiries, contact Editor Gianna Russo at russo15@juno.com.