First Light Poetry Contest (#2)
Spring 2026
Contest Judge
Chris Reid is the daughter of the late poet Robert Reid. She grew up reading and writing poems and is a longtime fixture in the Chicago slam poetry scene. Chris, a career civil servant, holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois as well as a certificate in Arabic studies from the University of Chicago. Chris’ works have appeared in Midwest Review, Rhino, Journal of Modern Poetry, World Order and other journals and will soon be included in Bards Against Hunger Chicago. Chris makes her home in the western suburbs where she is rearing the next generation of Reids.
Deadline
March 9, 2026
Entry Fee
- There is no entry fee.
All contest submissions are automatically considered for publication in First Light Journal Issue #2.
Guidelines
- Your submission can have up to three poems.
- Only one submission per contestant (3 poems)
- Contestants must be at least 13 years old to participate.
- Friends (those in close and constant association with the judge), relatives and current/former students of the judge are not eligible to enter the contest. The only exception is if submission bears a timestamp prior to the date we assigned a judge to the contest.
- Poems must be the original work(s) of the author.
- Poems submitted must not be previously published in another journal.
- Poems must be no more than 40 lines, including the title, tag line and empty lines between stanzas.
IMPORTANT: All submissions must be the original works of the contributors and must not be published elsewhere. Our editorial team will have the final say regarding the acceptance/rejection of any entry. Entries with profanity-laced language and themes are unlikely to be selected for publication.
How to Submit
We recommend using our contest entry form to minimize errors.
Submit by E-mail
If you prefer entering by email, please pay close attention to the following.
- All poems can be typed up in a single Word document.
- Type each poem on a new page.
- Give each poem a title if it has one. If no title is provided, we will use the first line of the poem as its title.
- DO NOT include your name in the document containing your poems.
- Include your full name or preferred pseudonym in the body of the email.
- Include a brief biography (2 – 3 lines) in the body of the email that will be published with your poem if it is selected.
- Email your submissions in a Word/PDF document to submissions@starboard.press with the subject line: First Light Spring 2026 Poetry Contest.
Prizes
- Cash prize of $100 for the First Place winner with certificate of award
- Second place winner will receive $50 with certificate of award
- Third place winner will receive $30 with certificate of award
- Additional poems may be selected as Honorable Mentions
- All submissions are automatically considered for publication in the 2026 Spring issue of First Light. Winning entries will be highlighted.
Results
- Results will be available in the second week of April 2026
- Authors of winning entries will be notified by email
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