Floating Bridge Press’ Poetry Chapbook Competition began in 1995 with the publication of Joannie Kervran’s A Steady Longing for Flight. Our annual competition is an open competition for Washington State poets in which manuscripts are judged anonymously. In 2022, we renamed the FBP Chapbook Competition to the John Pierce Chapbook Competition, to honor John’s humble dedication, mentorship, and positive impact on the literary community here in Washington and beyond.

The winning poet receives a minimum of $500, 15 copies of a perfect-bound, archival-quality chapbook, local promotion, distribution of the chapbook, and a featured reading in the Seattle area (or online). A minimum of one finalist will receive publication, a minimum $150 award, and 20 copies of their perfect-bound, archival-quality chapbook as well.

All entrants receive a copy of the winning chapbook. All poems are considered for the Paula Jones Gardiner Memorial Award*.

We look forward to reading your work!

General Guidelines

Floating Bridge Press reads manuscripts for our John Pierce Chapbook Competition from January 1st to March 31st each year. Here are a few guidelines to make your job (and, let’s be honest, our job) a little easier:

-We read and judge all submissions anonymously*, so please do not include your name or any identifying information in your manuscript. We also don’t need a bio or acknowledgments of publication with your submission; save yourself some time and leave them off this submission.

-We accept manuscripts from residents of Washington State (USA) only.

-Simultaneous submissions are cool with us, but please withdraw your manuscript should it find a home elsewhere (we will celebrate with you)! Individual poems may have been previously published.

-We accept chapbook manuscripts of 20-30 pages of poetry. Don’t worry if your chapbook is a few pages over/under.

-Please include a title page (make sure to leave your name off this) and a paginated table of contents. The editors prefer a 12-point font—if you want to make us smile. The file formats we accept are text files (.txt), Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx), and Adobe PDF files (.pdf). Name your file with the first few words of your manuscript’s title.

-Our reading fees are available on a sliding scale: $15, $10, or $5. We understand that everyone has different circumstances, and we don’t want anyone to feel they can’t submit because of inequitable financial barriers. We trust you to use your judgment, life circumstances, and conscience to determine your submission level. Each level includes a copy of the winning chapbook. If a $5 fee is prohibitive, don't hesitate to contact us here;  we will ensure you can submit your manuscript.

We look forward to reading your work! Every poem will be considered for the Paula Jones Gardiner Memorial Award*. Sign up for our newsletter for the most up-to-date information about submissions,

Thanks for trusting us with your work,
The Editors