SAS POETRY Contest 2025-2026
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This contest would not be possible without a generous grant from The John Burton Harter Foundation.
The 2025-2026 SAS Poetry Judge is Steven Reigns
Steven Reigns is a Los Angeles poet, educator, and was appointed the first Poet Laureate of West Hollywood. Alongside over a dozen chapbooks, he has published the collections Inheritance and Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat. Reigns holds a BA in Creative Writing, a Master of Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and is a sixteen-time recipient of The Los Angeles County’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ Artist in Residency Grant. He edited My Life is Poetry, showcasing his students’ work from the first-ever autobiographical poetry workshop for LGBT seniors. Reigns has lectured and taught writing workshops around the country to LGBT youth and people living with HIC. Currently he is touring The Gay Rub, an exhibition of rubbings from LGBT landmarks, and is the board president of the Anais Nin Foundation. His newest collection, A Quilt for David, was published by City Lights and is the product of over ten years of research regarding dentist David Acer’s life.
Prizes
- One grand prize of $500 and two second place prizes of $100 will be awarded.
- A list of the top ten finalists will be posted on our website and in our e-newsletter.
- Finalists will be published in the Saints and Sinners Poetry Chapbook to be distributed at a special reading at the 2026 Festival.
Eligibility
- The contest is open to all LGBTQ+ writers.
- Authors who have published in other genres are eligible.
- Please submit original, unpublished work that has not won other prizes or contests.
Guidelines
- Submit 2-4 original, unpublished poems of any style, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.
- Number all pages in your entry.
- Please use standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia in 12 point font size.
- Author’s name must not appear on the submission as all entries are judged anonymously.
- Multiple entries per person and simultaneous submissions accepted. Please notify the Festival if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Deadline: October 15, 2025 through Submittable.