Limited Demographic: poets with no more than one full-length work of poetry published or forthcoming at time of submission

Note: remove identifying information from manuscript for anonymous judging.

To harbor life in ourselves is an act of courage. Milenka Aurelio once said that “[our] bodies hold memories, trauma, joy, and potential all at once.” We carry the whole of our histories—both personal and collective—within our bodies. What we carry is not only tranquility, passion, or joy; we also move forward holding it all, and learning to live in a kind of awkward, strange, contradictory, and miraculous harmony with pain. The clumsiness and triumph of this journey is what we call healing—what inspires hope.
With the 2026 Hurt & Healing Prize, we invite you to recall your journeys through the entanglement of pain and restoration. Frontier Poetry seeks poems that explore grief, loss, heartache, and the imperfect path taken to reach the ongoing work of healing. Whether your poetry is authored in the midst of anguish or written from the other side, we welcome work that is transparent, honest, and poetically resonant.

Frontier Poetry welcomes all interpretations of both hurting and healing. We proudly encourage submissions from poets of all identities, cultures, and backgrounds.