Buckman is pleased to announce that our annual Ibby Rivers poetry prize has transformed into a chapbook competition. Named after the one-and-only Elizabeth "Ibby" Rivers, this prize is meant to celebrate Pacific Northwest Poetry. The winning poet will receive a $300.00 prize and print publication of their poetry chapbook, to be produced and distributed locally/regionally by Buckman with a planned release date of April 2027. The prize is open to Oregon and Washington residents only. As always, there is no entry fee. 

All styles are welcome, however, Buckman favors the brave and the strange. Poetry in our view, should always treat language itself as the subject. We appreciate poets who honor the form as the linguistic, sonic, and visual art that it is; those who use words in a unexpected ways, and those who deploy "I"s judiciously.

• Submissions will be open from April 27th to April 30th (both midnight PST).
• Please submit only chapbook-length manuscripts consisting of primarily unpublished original poems (a few previously published one-offs are fine). Include poetry generated by organic intelligences only!
• Simultaneous submissions are also fine, just be sure to withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
• Manuscripts should be 20-40 pages of poems. There is no requirement for the amount of poems comprising the manuscript, as long as it falls within this page range. All front and back matter, if any, should be included in that count.  
• Your document should have a Table of Contents and page numbers. 
• Send .docx or .pdf files only and use an easily readable font. Only one submission per person. 
• Cover letters can be very brief, and do not have any influence on the consideration of your work. Just tell us who you are, where in the PNW you live, and your pronouns. 
• Ensure that your name does not appear anywhere (including headers/footers) on the actual document of poems. 

We hope to read and respond to all submissions within two months of the closing date, around the end of June. Feel free to share this opportunity with other local writers. Aside from the winner, we may also seek to publish selections from additional submissions in future issues of Buckman Journal.

We thank you for sharing your work and look forward to reading your words! Know your local! 

Buckman is an unorthodox operation that continues the daredevil tradition of literature, printing new sparks that ignite imagination. Proudly independent, Buckman’s defiant attitude aims to inspire and increase readership in greater society. We print a biannual literary journal and books of all genres.