Current & Recent Opportunities
IbBy Rivers Poetry Prize
Submissions open April 27th-April 30th, 2026
Buckman is pleased to announce that our annual Ibby Rivers poetry prize has transformed into a chapbook competition. Named after the one-and-only Elizabeth "Ibby" Rivers, this prize is meant to celebrate Pacific Northwest Poetry. The winning poet will receive a $300.00 prize and print publication of their poetry chapbook, to be produced and distributed locally/regionally by Buckman with a planned release date of April 2027. The prize is open to Oregon and Washington residents only. As always, there is no entry fee. All styles are welcome; however, Buckman favors the brave and the strange. Poetry, in our view, should always treat language itself as the subject. We appreciate poets who honor the form as the linguistic, sonic, and visual art that it is; those who use words in unexpected ways, and those who deploy "I"s judiciously.
Submissions will be open from April 27th to April 30th (both midnight PST).
Please submit only chapbook-length manuscripts consisting of primarily unpublished original poems (a few previously published one-offs are fine). Poetry generated by organic intelligences only!
Simultaneous submissions are also fine, just be sure to withdraw if accepted elsewhere.
Manuscripts should be between 20-40 pages. There is no requirement for the amount of poems comprising the manuscript, as long as it falls within this page range. All front and back matter, if any, should be included in that count. Your document should include a Table of Contents and page numbers.
Send .docx or .pdf files and use an easily readable font. Only one submission per person.
Cover letters can be very brief, and do not have any influence on the consideration of your work. Just tell us who you are, where in the PNW you live, and your pronouns.
Ensure that your name does not appear anywhere (including headers/footers) on the actual document of poems.
We hope to read and respond to all submissions within two months of the closing date, around the end of June. Feel free to share this opportunity with other local writers. Aside from the winner, we may also seek to publish selections from additional submissions in future issues of Buckman Journal.
We thank you for sharing your work and look forward to reading your words! Know your local!
Buckman Publishing Submission Box
located at 1033 SE Main St, Suite 4 (inside Honey Latte Cafe)
Our crew is always looking for new ways to connect with our creative communities here in Portland and are often overwhelmed with the wealth of talent this city provides. Our schedules are packed with events, readings and art openings, live music and plays, and we are thrilled to launch another avenue for connection: our very own in-person submission box! We invite y’all to drop off sample words, zines, art, etc., for possible future publication with Buckman or as an addition to our Zine Library here at the Mothership. Please include your contact information with the item you drop off. Or, if you want to throw in a postcard / tell us about an event we may not know about, please do!
*DISCLAIMER*: materials will not be returned. As a small team, we will not be able to respond to all submissions. You will hear from us if your work is a good fit for collaboration. Thanks.