The 2023 Final Judge is Meg Day.
1st prize is $250, publication in NCLR, and a Pushcart Prize nomination.
Finalists will also be considered for publication in NCLR and NCLR Online, and poets will receive $25–$100.
NCLR considers poetry submissions only through the James Applewhite Poetry Prize competition. Submission period (new): April 1–30.
The James Applewhite Poetry Prize competition is open to any writer who fits the NCLR definition of a North Carolina writer: anyone who currently lives in North Carolina, has lived in North Carolina, or uses North Carolina as subject matter. Poetry submissions do NOT have to relate to an issue’s special feature topic.
About the Journal
The mission of the North Carolina Literary Review is to promote and support writers who are a part of our state’s rich literary tradition. NCLR not only introduces new and emerging writers, but also reintroduces forgotten authors, who have influenced the culture and history of the Old North State. We showcase their work in literary criticism, interviews, book reviews, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and literary news stories, and complement the writing with the work of North Carolina artists and photographers.