What is the Jack McCarthy Book Prize?

The Jack McCarthy Book Prize is our annual manuscript contest seeking bold new voices in contemporary poetry. We're looking for work that moves people, changes lives, and deserves a beautiful home on paper. If your poems keep people awake at night (in the best way), we want to read them. Do you write well and read well out loud? We are the press for you.

Are you ready?!?

From February 1st - March 1st, 2026 Write Bloody Publishing is accepting submissions from talented poets who are looking to publish a full-length book of poetry with us! Write Bloody plans to select 2-6 poets who will have the opportunity to publish a full-length manuscript (approximately 40-50 poems).

Write Bloody requires that our authors be willing and able to tour with their book upon its publication. This means that if you are selected to join the Write Bloody team, you will be required to do at least 20 readings within the first year of your book's release. These 20 readings can be in your home state, or you can hit the road as most of our authors do.

If selected, your book will be released in spring or fall 2027. If you are selected as a finalist for the contest, you will be asked to submit a 20 poem sampler of your full manuscript within two weeks of the finalist announcement on March 15, 2026. If accepted, a full manuscript of 40-55 poems will be published.

Submission cost: $10.00 reading fee paid via Submittable. This fee covers the cost of editors who vote, read and review every submission. All notes remain private.

*Submissions are open to U.S. citizens and U.S persons only. Must be 18 years of age or older at time of submission.

Final winners will be emailed, posted on site and on instagram. Follow us @writebloodypublishing

How to submit:

Submissions may be uploaded to Write Bloody's Submittable page during the submission window (February 1st – March 1st 2026). Please note that we DO NOT accept submissions before this and we will not be extending the submission period. Once you submit, you should receive an email from Submittable confirming your submission.

Email Haley Hutchinson at haleywritebloody@gmail.com if you do not receive this email or have any questions.

*Please note that each person is limited to one, five-poem submission per contest. 

Multiple entries by the same person are not allowed and will be disqualified.*

What you will need:

1. A Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF with 5 original poems.*

2. A little something about yourself! (Please keep this to one paragraph.)

*Up to two poems may have been printed in individual magazines or journals, but absolutely no work from any previously published books or full manuscripts. Poems from chapbooks without ISBNs are okay, as long as you hold all the rights to the submitted material.

How to format your submission:

- Submit 5 poems. To allow for poems that are longer than one page, the entire length of your submission can be 8 pages max, but please only include 5 poems in total.

- Please do not put your name or bio within the body of your manuscript. We aim to keep the submission process blind.

- Start each new poem on a new page of your document. Times New Roman, 12 pt. font is preferred.

- Title the document you upload with "WBUSA2026" and the name of your submission. For example, if your 5-poem sampler is titled Atrophy, title your uploaded document "WBUSA2026.ATROPHY"

- Acceptable file types for your manuscript: PDF, DOC, or DOCX

Important dates:

February 1st – March 1st: Submissions open February 1st at 12:01 am Pacific time and will close at 11:59pm Pacific time on March 1st.

March 15th: Finalists announced.

March 30th: Finalists will have access to a WB Finalist Submittable page where you must submit a 20-poem manuscript by 11:59pm Pacific time on March 30th (The five poems you submitted for round one can be included in this). This will give us a better idea of what your full-length manuscript will be like.

- Along with your finalist manuscript, finalists must submit a video of themselves performing one of the poems from your 20-poem manuscript sample (the full manuscript is 40-50 poems). Please upload this video directly to YouTube and include the link in the designated area on the Submittable page (Finalists only!!!).

- This video can be creative or simple. It can be done professionally or on your cell phone. It can be filmed at a reading or in your living room. Our goal is to hear and see how you read and perform your work out loud. *Please make sure the audio quality is good enough so we can hear you clearly.*

April 15: Winners announced!

Tear it up!

Derrick C. Brown

Haley Hutchinson

Write Bloody Publishing