Before submitting, please read ABOUT THE CONTESTS and GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. We make every effort to keep guidelines concise yet clear—meaning this is necessary information to avoid mistakes on your part and ours.
See submission fee payment options at bottom of this page.
POETRY PARAMETERS
- We accept any style, virtually any subject (NO pornography/promoting hatred of any kind).
- Max # of Lines: Each poem can be up to 65 lines, including your name, title, epigraph, and all blank lines/stanza breaks. However, we prefer a maximum of 40 lines.
- Line Width: Our anthology is half size, so your poems cannot run across the width of a letter-size page. Lines exceeding four and a half inches in width will require re-wrapping. We prefer you do this before submitting. (A re-wrapped line counts as two lines when calculating maximum number of lines.)
- NO AI-generated material is accepted. If AI-based submissions are discovered, submission is disqualified and you will not be eligible to submit to our press in the future.
FORMATTING YOUR POETRY
- Send Microsoft Word (or Word compatible) files. We don’t accept PDF.
- Name file the title of your poem and include title in your document. If untitled, use first line as filename. (We PREFER titled poems and will suggest a title if you do not provide one.)
- Do NOT include personal info anywhere in the file.
- Use the font Times New Roman, 12 point (no fancy fonts, please).
- We prefer you NOT capitalize the first letter of every line unless your poem’s style, e.g., a sonnet, calls for it. (Be aware Word automatically capitalizes first letters. Contemporary poetry such as free verse generally does not warrant first caps.)
STEPS TO SUBMIT
- Submit fee (see instructions at bottom of this page). You may submit your fee before or after you email your submission. All submissions will be processed once the fee is received.
- Email submission to kakalak@carolina.rr.com.
- SAVE each poem as a separate file, and send one email with files attached.
- Save poems in separate files, and send files AS ATTACHMENTS to avoid discrepancies in formatting.
- Email’s subject line should read “[Your Name] Poetry Submission to Kakalak 2026.”
- Remember to include personal information in body of email, not in files. (See GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for info to include.)
- Remember to NAME files the same as listed in your email.
REMINDERS
- Submission fee is $10 for up to 3 pieces.
- Multiple submissions allowed with separate entry fee for each group of up to 3 pieces.
- Work must be unpublished and has not won a monetary prize elsewhere. (See ABOUT THE CONTESTS for definition of “unpublished.”)
POETRY PRIZES
- First Prize = $300
- Second Prize = $150
- Third Prize = $75
- Honorable Mention = $20
All accepted for publication receive one free copy of the published book.
Payment of prizes is contingent upon poets granting first-time publication rights to Moonshine Review Press for publication in KAKALAK 2026. Prize money is paid at time of publication. Poets agree that, should their poems be published again elsewhere, they will acknowledge KAKALAK 2026 as the place of first publication.
SUBMISSION FEE PAYMENT OPTIONS
You may send your submission via email any time, but your payment must be received before your submission will be accepted/processed. Please NOTE the payment instructions below assume you are familiar with how to use the app/method.
DO NOT submit your payment to PayPal multiple times, even if you receive an error message! Fees will be deducted from any refund. If unsure your payment processed, do not panic! Please email Anne Kaylor (Kakalak@carolina.rr.com) directly for verification. Be patient—you will receive a response (but not necessarily immediately).
- VENMO OR APPLE PAY: Email kakalak@carolina.rr.com to request either of these payment options. Do NOT send before emailing! (These methods require information we won’t disclose on the website.)
- PERSONAL CHECK: Email kakalak@carolina.rr.com to request this option. (This method requires information we won’t disclose on the website.)
- To pay with PayPal, click on the image below
(if image doesn’t appear, click on text):
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