Early Bird Deadline: September 1st, 2024: Submit by this date and include an extra poem in your submission, free of charge!

Deadline for all entries: November 1st, 2024

Calling all emerging poets! The Foster Poetry Prize awards $1000 and publication in CV2 to the author of the winning poem. Cash prizes and publication in CV2 are awarded to second and third place, as well as an honourable mention.

• Participating poets can be any age, but must not have published a full-length book of poetry (chapbooks are fine). All entrants must be willing to provide proof of their publication history if requested. 
• Open to Canadian and International poets. 
• Entry fee: $26 (first entry, includes 1-year subscription), $16 (subsequent entries)
• Due to high international shipping costs, the subscription term for contest entrants residing in the US is 9 months (3 issues). For international residents, the subscription term is 3 months (1 issue). 
• Your submission may consist of 1-2 poems, and is not to exceed 80 lines total. If you are submitting within the Early Bird Deadline and will be including a third poem, that poem can put you over the 80-line limit. However, the extra poem must not be longer than 28 lines.
• Stanza breaks DO NOT count as lines, nor do titles or subheadings.
• Do not identify yourself anywhere in your attachment. Enter your name and address information in the form provided in Submittable. In the space reserved for a cover letter please enter the title(s) of your piece(s) and line count.
• Your entry must be formatted on 8 1/2″ x 11″ using single spacing and a 12 point font (Times New Roman preferred).
• Entries must be sent in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format using Submittable. Please do not send your poem as a pdf.
• Winners of the 2024 Foster Poetry Prize will be notified by email and results will be available on the CV2 website in January 2025.
• Each piece must be original, unpublished, not submitted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor accepted elsewhere for publication or broadcast, nor entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition for which it is also eligible to win a prize.
• Winning pieces will be published in CV2 magazine, with authors paid for publication.

The Birthday Issue

In 2025 CV2 Magazine turns 50 (!!) years old, and we’ll be celebrating with a whole year of special events and issues. We’re kicking things off with the Birthday Issue, coming out in January 2025, and we want your poems!

Do you have lingering thoughts about the MTV show My Super Sweet Sixteen? Do you feel like the person who chose the birthday stones for each month was probably born in April (whose stone is DIAMONDS)? Do you find it mildly offensive that Wikipedia refers to astrology as a pseudoscience? We want your poems about it!

We want to know if you were born in the Year of the Dragon or the Ox, the Rooster or the Dog. We want poems that explore aging, milestones, parties, presents. Astrology, celebrations, birth order, cake. About giving or witnessing birth. About loving or hating being the centre of attention. 

Find out what the Hubble telescope saw the day you were born and turn it into a poem. Revisit the time you told someone it was your birthday, but it wasn’t. Sing us a song. Cry if you want to. Make it happy or sad, funny or bittersweet. Blow out your candles and, just this once, tell us what you wished for.


   Deadline to submit: October 1st, 2024


  General Submission Guidelines:

 Any submissions that do not follow correct guidelines or do not include full contact information will not be considered for publication and will not receive a reply. Please read the submission guidelines before sending us your work. 

Length of Submissions  

• Poetry submissions: no more than 6 pages.

We strongly prefer that work be submitted in a Word doc, not a pdf. 

We prefer that you do not send us work for this themed issue that has also been submitted elsewhere.

Editorial Aim and Policy
Contemporary Verse 2 is a quarterly literary journal that publishes poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews. It is our policy to publish new writing by both emerging and established poets. The writing we encourage represents a range of social and cultural experience along with literary excellence.
 

Suitability for Publication
CV2 purchases first North American serial print rights and limited, non-exclusive digital rights only. Authors retain full copyright for works published in CV2.
   We suggest that writers research literary journals carefully before submitting their work to determine that the journal’s aesthetics match that of their writing. Because of the number of submissions we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback to everyone who requests it. If you are a new writer, we recommend seeking consultation from an experienced writer. For manuscript consultation services and programs, contact your local or provincial writing organization for assistance.
   A sample of CV2 content is published on our website. In addition, back issues of CV2 are available for $5 (+$2 shipping) in our store. Or, check the list of where to buy CV2.
 

French Language Submissions

CV2 welcomes poetry submissions in French, as well as translation projects, including both French to English and English to French, as well as translations from other languages into English.