Chapbook Contest

The 2026 Quarterly West chapbook contest, judged by James Allen Hall, will accept submissions from March 1st to April 1st. The winning writer receives $1000, publication, and 25 copies. Quarterly West may also offer publication to a runner-up manuscript. All published authors will receive 25 author copies of their chapbook.

Send us poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, or any combination or hybridization therein. Please keep your submission to 26 - 40 pages. As judging is anonymous, any manuscripts with identifying marks (including an acknowledgments section) will be discarded.

We look forward to reading your manuscripts!

James Allen Hall

James Allen Hall is the author of two books of poetry and a book of lyric nonfiction: Now You're the Enemy (2008), Romantic Comedy (2023), and I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well (2017). They have received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, Lambda Literary, The Fellowship of Southern Writers, and the Texas Institute of Letters. Work has appeared in two Best American Poetry anthologies, The Pushcart Prize anthology, and in Best of the Net. They direct the Rose O'Neill Literary House at Washington College, where they also serve as an associate professor of English. Alongside Aaron Smith, they co-host Breaking Form: A Poetry and Culture Podcast.

Click Here to Submit

The Quarterly West Chapbook Series

  • Maggie Millner has selected Michael Pontacoloni’s collection Anadromous Fish of the Farmington River as winner and Sharon Du’s Emergency Exit as runner-up. The editors have selected David Ehmcke’s Broken Lyre as the editor’s choice.

  • Carolyn Guinzio’s collection Meanwhile in Arkansas (purchase) has won the 2024 chapbook contest judged by Jess Arndt. Rachele Salvini’s Oklahoma Bestiary (purchase) has been selected as runner-up. Ann Pedone’s Hotel Sappho was selected as an honorable mention. Both Carolyn Guinzio and Rachele Salvini have received offers of publication.

  • Kieron Walquist’s Love Locks (now sold out!) has won the 2023 chapbook contest judged by Luther Hughes. Jeddie Sophronius’s Blood • Letting (purchase)has been selected as runner-up. Mylo Lam’s AND NOT / AND YET (purchase) has been selected as editors’ choice.

  • Mukethe Kawinzi’s saanens, nubians, one lamancha (purchase), winner of the 2021 chapbook contest judged by TC Tolbert. Alyssandra Tobin’s Put Eyes on Me Not Like a Curse (purchase) selected as editors’ choice.

  • Benjamin Gucciardi’s Timeless Tips for Simple Sabotage (purchase), winner of the 2021 chapbook contest judged by Elena Passarello. Katherine MacCue’s Cassandra, Cassandra (purchase), contest runner-up. Penelope Pelizzon’s Of Vinegar Of Pearl (purchase) and Alice Hall’s Universal Casket (purchase) selected as editors’ choices.

  • Jadyn Dewald’s A Love Supreme: Fragments and Ephemera has taken the first place in the 2020 chapbook contest. Lauren Fath’s A Landlocked State and Andrea Spofford & Stephanie Bryant Anderson’s Phrasebook for the Common Era were selected as editors’ choices. Purchase any of our chapbooks here.

  • Carlos Price-Sanchez’s Paper Waters, judged by Kaveh Akbar (purchase here). Brooke Larsen’s Origami Drama was selected as runner-up (purchase here). Anne Champion’s She Saints & Holy Profanities (here) and Mel Bosworth & Ryan Ridge’s A Month of Sundays (here)were selected as editors’ choices.

  • John Jodzio’s This is All the Orientation You’re Gonna Get, judged by Garrard Conley (purchase here). Brandon Thurman’s Strange Flesh was selected as runner-up (purchase here).

  • Juan Carlos Reyes’s A Summer’s Lynching: A Novella in Thirteen Loops, judged by Kate Bernheimer (purchase here).

  • Mark Baumer’s Holiday Meat, judged by Lily Hoang.

  • Nathan Poole’s Pathkiller as the Holy Ghost, judged by Ben Percy (purchase here).

  • Tim Wirkus’s Sandy Downs, judged by Michael Martone (purchase here).