The award-winning Buckman Journal is pleased to open submissions for the annual Ibby Rivers Poetry Prize, named after the one-and-only Elizabeth Rivers. The winning poet will receive a $300.00 prize and have their work featured in Buckman Journal Issue 015. The prize is open to Oregon and SW Washington residents only. There is no entry fee. We will accept submissions during National Poetry Month from April 11th-20th. 

Please send no more than five pages of unpublished poems. Simultaneous submissions are fine, just be sure to withdraw promptly if accepted elsewhere. All styles are welcome, however, Buckman favors the brave: poets who honor the form as a textual, sonic, and visual art, use words in an unexpected manner, and deploy "I" judiciously. The best poetry, in our view, should always address language itself as the subject. Keep in mind that the dimensions of the print journal are 6x9, so individual lines should not exceed 4.5 inches in length (at a 10pt size in a standard font). 

As always, Buckman pays to license work with the copyright reverting to the author after the initial publication date, which will be in January 2026. 

Please submit .docx or .pdf files only, use a readable font, and be sure to include the following in your cover letter: Name, author's name (if different), a brief autobiographical bio, and preferred pronouns. Keep these brief, please.   

We hope to read and respond to all submissions within two weeks of the submission closing date, and definitely within one month. Feel free to share this opportunity with other local writers. Aside from the winner, we may also seek to publish selections from additional poets who submit in future issues of Buckman Journal.   

We thank you for your sharing your work with us and look forward to reading your words!