The Garden Party Chapbook Contest returns in 2025, ready to publish four exceptional manuscripts. This contest seeks poetry, prose, and hybrid works that break boundaries and leave a lasting impression. The winning chapbooks will receive expert design, professional printing, and a dedicated launch with the Garden Party Collective.

What the Judges Want

This year’s judges—Ashley Elizabeth, Kenny Bradley, Jacob Jardel, and Maya Williams—are looking for work that demands attention and refuses to be forgotten.

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Eligibility Requirements for the Garden Party Chapbook Contest

• Open to writers worldwide.
• Submit Manuscripts of up to 20–30 pages (including table of contents and acknowledgments).
• Individual pieces may have been previously published, but the manuscript as a whole must be mostly unpublished.
• Accepting poetry, prose, hybrid forms, and experimental styles.
• Open to collaborations, translations, reviews, and art-infused work.
• Submit one manuscript only.
• They allow simultaneous submissions, but writers should notify the contest if their work is accepted elsewhere.
•  Include your pronouns in your bio for proper representation.

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How to Submit to the Garden Party Chapbook Contest 

• Email a PDF, DOC, or DOCX manuscript with a 2-4 sentence bio and any relevant links.
• Double-space all fiction and essays.
• Start each piece on a new page.
• Include an acknowledgments page for previously published work.
• Submit between March 23 and March 29, 2025. Do not send in entries after the deadline.

The Garden Party team reads every submission carefully. Finalists will be announced within two months.

What Winners Receive

The Garden Party Chapbook Contest gives winners a fully realized publication experience:

• 20 author copies, plus the option to buy more at cost.
• Free copies of the other winning chapbooks from the contest.
• An initial print run of 100 copies, with more printed based on demand.
• Custom cover art, designed in collaboration with the author.
• Professional printing and binding with Astringent Press.
• An online release of the chapbook as a free ebook the following year.
• A featured spot at the Garden Party online reading event.
• Reviews and blurbs from the Garden Party Collective’s literary network.
• An invitation to help judge future contests as part of the Garden Party Collective.
• Creative control over cover art, interior design, and editing, with guidance from experienced writers.

Royalties & Sales

Winners receive 20 author copies upfront, along with free copies of the other two winning chapbooks. Once the contest covers production costs, authors begin earning royalties from future sales.

They will sell the chapbooks at a Pay-What-You-Can rate, making them accessible while supporting the next generation of published writers.

Submit to The Garden Party Chapbook Contest

The Garden Party Chapbook Contest isn’t just about publication—it’s about growth. This contest connects writers with a passionate literary community, supports their creative vision, and delivers high-quality books into the world.

Submissions open March 23–March 29, 2025. Send your best work, and let’s grow something unforgettable together.