C O N T E S T S
2026 Advent Poetry Contest:
Mary Immaculate, Vessel of Light
Catholic Literary Arts (CLA) encourages you to write poems reflecting on Mary as the Immaculate Vessel of Light during the season of Advent for our 2026 Advent Writing Contest.
The anticipatory season of Advent provides a time particularly appropriate to journeying inward to prepare for the birth of the Divine Savior.
The beginning date for this contest is September 10, 2026, and the ending date is November 17, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. CST.
An entry for this contest is limited to 32 lines, not including the title and stanza breaks.
Each submission to the contest will be judged according to the effectiveness and integral beauty in the use of language, imagery, sound, and the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic faith.
This contest is part of CLA’s focused and ongoing efforts to encourage people to write new poetry which uses the rich traditions and images of the Catholic faith to bring God into today’s world through original and beautiful contemporary writing in honor of God and his saints.
This year’s 2026 Advent Contest judge is Maura H. Harrison.
Maura H. Harrison is a writer and artist from Fredericksburg, VA. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. Her works have appeared in Dappled Things, Ekstasis Magazine, St. Austin Review, THINK Journal, The Windhover, Solum Journal, Clayjar Review, and others. Her works have been anthologized in collections from Amethyst Review, Solid Food Press, and La Rotonde Review. She has received recognition in competitions sponsored by Catholic Literary Arts and the Society of Classical Poets. She publishes heroic-couplet captioned photographs on her Substack publication, “Two Duties Told.”
Contest Information
Submission Guidelines
All submissions must be:
typed in 12-point font and submitted through Submittable in a Word file of .doc or .docx.
free of the author’s name on both the submission and the document’s file name. All work is blind-judged which means that the judge must not see the name of the author.
original work that has not been published online or in a hard-copy journal, magazine, or book of any size.
the original creation of the person submitting the work. Work generated by AI or AI-enhanced is ineligible to enter this contest.
no more than 32 lines, not including the title or stanzas breaks.
Submissions Period
This contest opens September 10, 2026, and closes November 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Submittable Guidelines
The electronic submissions platform for this contest is Submittable.
In order to use Submittable, you will need to create an account on the Submitttable website, if you do not already have one. Creation of an account within Submittable is free.
If you have questions or problems with Submittable, please contact their Customer Service directly via their website, submittable.com.
Entry Fees
The entry fee per submission of two poems is $15.
A writer may enter one or two poems in his or her submission. A maximum of two poems may be entered into this contest. There are no refunds of entry fees.
Prizes/Awards
Prizes will be awarded in the poetry category as follows;
First prize, $100
Second Prize, $75
Third Prize, $50
Winners must complete IRS Form W-9 to receive payment in U.S. dollars.
Submit Your Entry
Click here to submit your entry.
The Submittable form will direct you how to pay the submission fee. You will be given the option in Submittable to pay by credit card or via your PayPal account.
Celebration for Winners and Finalists
Catholic Literary Arts invites you to a virtual event through Zoom to celebrate the Advent Writing Contest’s winners and finalists. Join judge Maura H. Harrison and CLA president & founder Sarah Cortez to listen to poems crafted by many of the best poets of the Catholic Literary Revival.
These celebrations occur in a joyous virtual community eager to hear and share the writing of today’s writers of Faith. You’ll walk away inspired to write more yourself, and, we hope, inspired to further reflect on your own Advent journey, along with the members of the CLA nationwide community.
The virtual event will be Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. CST. It will last 60 minutes.
Click here to register for the Celebration of winners and finalists.