fws offers its inaugural poetry contest, the Rod Carlos Rodriguez Prize for Poetry! Deadline: August 1, 2026.
Judge Rod Carlos Rodriguez, renowned San Antonio poet and Assistant Professor in the Writing Program at the University of Texas, San Antonio, will award three prizes for the best poems on the theme of “pockets” from a long-list created by editors d. ellis phelps and Rachel Aguirre: 1st place, $250; 2nd place, $150; and 3rd place, $100.
In a hurry to read our guides and submit? Here’s that link:
Here’s a bit about our judge:
Rod Carlos Rodriguez has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio Writing Program. He is an award-winning poet who has been writing for over 40 years. He has 5 books of poetry published with his latest book, A History of Echoes: Poems, being awarded the Gival Press Poetry Book award and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He was founder/chair of the Sun Poet’s Society, South Texas’s longest running weekly open-mic poetry reading (1995-2022). He was nominated for the San Antonio Poet Laureate in April 2012, April 2014, April 2016, and April 2018. He was the poetry editor for Ocotillo Review, a literary journal/periodical and the editor of the Texas Poetry Calendar 2023 (Kallisto Gaia Press).
Rod Carlos Rodriguez, photo by Sabina de Vries
We look forward to reading your work and wish you the best of luck!
