SUBMISSION PERIOD: June 1 – July 15, 2026.  Free and open to all. 

CATEGORIES: Traditional Sonnet. Shakespearean or Petrarchan; Modern Sonnet. Sonnets that violate one or more of the rules of traditional sonnets, but still contain what the Poetry Foundation website refers to as a “ghost” of the sonnet form. Modern sonnets may or may not be rhymed, and they may experiment with various meters or not use a regular meter at all. Usually they are 14 lines, but this may also vary slightly.

For more info, contest rules, or to submit visit the Poets & Patrons Sonnet Contest page →