Gunpowder Press is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization located in Santa Barbara, California, founded in 2013 by David Starkey. Our name is a nod to our city's namesake, Saint Barbara, the patron saint of gunpowder.
As a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, Gunpowder Press believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing.
We value the community we find in poetry. Gunpowder Press is honored to have published many poets we know, especially within the Shoreline Voices Project anthologies or in Anacapa Review. The most meaningful support for poetry comes from poets. We want everyone to feel welcome here.
All submissions to Gunpowder Press are considered by the editors (David Starkey and Chryss Yost). For some book contests, there may be additional readers or a final guest judge.
For any contest with a cash award, we request that poets who are close friends or students (current or former) of the editors, readers, and/or the final judge refrain from entering. Each person choosing to enter a Gunpowder Press book contest can be confident that their manuscript is given fair consideration.
For examples of work we have published, please visit our website. We look forward to reading your work.
The third annual John Ridland Poetry Prize will be awarded for an unpublished book-length manuscript of 48-100 pages. This prize is open to poets 55 years and older.
The Ridland Prize honors poet, professor, and translator John Ridland, who continued to create meaningful and elegantly-crafted work throughout his life.
About the Judge: We are pleased to announced that our inaugural Ridland Prize winner, Joshua McKinney, has agreed to serve as final judge for this year's competition. In addition to his prizewinning book Sad Animal (Gunpowder Press, 2024), he is also the author of four previous poetry collections: Small Sillion (Parlor Press, 2019), Mad Cursive (Wordcraft of Oregon, 2012), The Novice Mourner, winner of the Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize (Bear Star Press, 2005), and Saunter, winner of the Contemporary Poetry Series Competition (University of Georgia, 2002). Professor Emeritus of English at California State University, Sacramento, he co-edits the online ecopoetics journal, Clade Song.
How to Submit: Submissions are accepted until December 31. The prize includes $500 and publication by Gunpowder Press with 10 author copies.
The $30 entry fee includes a copy of the winning book, $25 option without a copy of the book. Word .doc or .docx format preferred. Please include a table of contents and a page which acknowledges previous publication of individual poems. We ask that close friends, students, or former students of the editors or final judge refrain from submitting work for this award. Due to our desire to respect international copyright, submissions are accepted from poets within the United States only.
About Gunpowder Press: Founded in 2013 by David Starkey and co-edited by David Starkey and Chryss Yost, Gunpowder Press is part of Gunpowder Poetry, a literary 501(c)(3) located in Santa Barbara, California. Our name honors our city's namesake, Saint Barbara, patron saint of gunpowder. For more information about the press, visit https://gunpowderpress.com.