This year's contest will be judged by poet Gregory Orr.

The Off the Grid Poetry Prize:

  1. The competition is open only to poets aged 60 years or older.
  2. Submissions will be open from May 1 to August 31, 2024. The winner will be announced by December 31, 2024.
  3. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication in print and audiobook formats. The entry fee is $25.
  4. Manuscripts must be typed, paginated, and at least 50 pages in length. Manuscripts must have a table of contents and include a list of acknowledgments for poems previously published. There should be one title page with the book title only. 
  5. Do not include your name, or any information that identifies authorship, anywhere in the actual manuscript. All contact information (name, address, phone, email) should be included in the cover letter submitted via Submittable. 
  6. Individual poems from the manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished. Previously self-published books are not eligible.
  7. Former students of the contest judge may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships. 
  8. AI-generated works are not eligible for this contest.
  9. Please submit online via Submittable.
  10. Send inquiries to info@grid-books.org.


$25.00

This year's contest will be judged by poet Gregory Orr.

The Off the Grid Poetry Prize:

  1. The competition is open only to poets aged 60 years or older.
  2. Submissions will be open from May 1 to August 31, 2024. The winner will be announced by December 31, 2024.
  3. The winner will receive $1,000 and publication in print and audiobook formats. The entry fee is $25.
  4. Manuscripts must be typed, paginated, and at least 50 pages in length. Manuscripts must have a table of contents and include a list of acknowledgments for poems previously published. There should be one title page with the book title only. 
  5. Do not include your name, or any information that identifies authorship, anywhere in the actual manuscript. All contact information (name, address, phone, email) should be included in the cover letter submitted via Submittable. 
  6. Individual poems from the manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, anthologies, or chapbooks, but the collection as a whole must be unpublished. Previously self-published books are not eligible.
  7. Former students of the contest judge may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships. 
  8. AI-generated works are not eligible for this contest.
  9. Please submit online via Submittable.
  10. Send inquiries to info@grid-books.org.
Grid Books / Off the Grid Press