The Poetry Journal has opened submissions for its third issue, due out in print and online in December 2026. The journal, which celebrates the subtle textures of everyday African experience, is accepting up to two poems per poet, and is offering prize money of up to ₦400,000.

The editors want poems that slow down and look hard at the mundane unimportant moments, the pedestrian details, the quiet strangeness of objects and animals and places. They have a particular weakness for humor: wit, irony, sarcasm, and the kind of comedy that sneaks up on you inside a serious poem. They are not interested in heavy political or activist themes. As they put it on their submission page, they have chosen “the less noble path of celebrating the subtle insights of life’s mundanities,” poems that remind us of what humans share rather than what divides us. Accessibility is prized over formal complexity; plain does not mean simple, and simple does not mean shallow.

Anyone can submit, the editors note that they believe anyone can have an African experience, but the work must be in conversation with that world in some way.

What to know before you submit: Up to two poems in a single Word document. Your biography (no more than 300 words) must be included in the same document. Previously published work is welcome, but note where and when it appeared. The submission form is one-time only; you cannot return to edit or resubmit.

Timeline: Submissions close 30 April 2026. The review period runs through 15 July, with acceptances and rejections sent on a rolling basis. Prize announcements follow between 25 July and 10 August. The online issue goes live 1 December; the print edition 31 December.

Prizes:

• Winner: ₦400,000
• Second Place: ₦200,000
• Third Place: ₦100,000

Questions? Write to [email protected]. Submit here. See full details about the call here.