Formerly known as the Young Buck Poetry Prize, the Foster Poetry Prize is a writing contest for emerging poets of any age. The prize is awarded to the author of the single best submitted poem, along with $1000 and publication in CV2. Three honourable mentions are also awarded, each with a cash prize and publication in CV2.

Participating poets can be any age, but must not have previously published a full-length book of poetry (chapbooks are fine). All entrants must be willing to provide proof of their publication history if requested.

Early Bird Deadline: Enter by September 1st and submit an extra poem at no additional charge!

Deadline for all contest entries: November 1st, 2022 at 11:59pm central time.

See the winners from previous years here, and click here to enter your submission!

Full contest rules

Open to Canadian and International poets.

Entry fee: $26 (first entry, includes 1-year subscription), $16 (subsequent entries)

Due to high international shipping costs, the subscription term for contest entrants residing in the US is 9 months (3 issues). For international residents, the subscription term is 3 months (1 issue).

Early Bird Deadline: Enter by September 1st and submit an extra poem at no additional charge!

Deadline for all contest entries: November 1st, 2022 at 11:59pm central time.

Your submission may consist of 1-3 poems and is not to exceed 80 lines total. If you are submitting within the Early Bird Deadline and will be including a 4th poem, that poem can put you over the 80-line limit. However, the extra poem must not be longer than 28 lines.

Stanza breaks DO NOT count as lines, nor do titles or subheadings.

Do not identify yourself on your attachment. Enter your name and address information in the form provided in Submittable. In the space reserved for a cover letter please enter the title(s) of your piece(s) and line count. On occasion, CV2 magazine makes subscriber names and addresses available to external organizations. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please state this clearly in the space reserved for a cover letter.

Your entry must be formatted on 8 1/2″ x 11″ using single spacing and a 12 point font.

Entries must be sent in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format using Submittable. If you encounter difficulties with Submittable please email contests@contemporaryverse2.ca

Winners of the 2022 contest will be notified by email (or telephone) and results will be available on the CV2 website in January 2023.

Each piece must be original, unpublished, not submitted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor accepted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition for which it is also eligible to win a prize.

Winning pieces will be published in CV2 magazine, with authors paid for publication.