Submissions

FLP is a proud member of the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses [ c l m p ]

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Finishing Line Press is the home of :

New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition
Open Chapbook Competition
The Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Prize (formerly the Starting Gate Award)
Ritzenhein Emerging Poet Award (awarded by committee)
One Last Word Program (awarded by committee)

2025 NEW WOMEN’S VOICES CHAPBOOK COMPETITION

A prize of $1,500, royalty contract, and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually to the winner for a poetry chapbook by a writer who identifies as a woman and has not yet published a full-length collection. We will select a winner and 10 finalists to be included in the New Women’s Voices chapbook series.

Final Judge: Deirdre Fagan

Submit a manuscript of 16 to 30 pages of poetry plus bio, title page, and acknowledgments with a $20 entry fee by October 15, 2025. We do allow hybrid manuscripts in addition to traditional poetry manuscripts: prose poetry or formal verse. We do allow color or black/white art to be included with the manuscript. Please follow page count guidelines. One page of art is equal to one page of poetry. All entries are considered for publication.

Dr. Deirdre Fagan is an award-winning author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and literary criticism. Featured on ABC, CBS, and NPR television and radio, as well as in Newsweek and HuffPost, Fagan, described by Kirkus Reviews as a “sharply descriptive writer,” is the author of five books; her most recent include a poetry collection, Phantom Limbs (Finishing Line Press, 2023), and a memoir, Find a Place for Me (Regal House Publishing, 2022). Fagan is the editor of the Orange Blossom Review and professor and coordinator of creative writing at Ferris State University in Michigan. Meet her at deirdrefagan.com

2025 Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Prize

A prize of $500 and publication by Finishing Line Press is given annually for a poetry book.

Leah Huete de Maines will judge.

Submit a manuscript of 40 to 99 pages with a $15 entry fee by June 2, 2025.

Include cover letter with bio and acknowledgments. (Please keep bio and acknowledgments in cover letter only.) Manuscript should include title page and poems (and art, if any.)

All forms of poetry are welcome including hybrid poetry. Artwork may be included (color is accepted). Please count each artwork as one page.

All entries are considered for publication.

Christen Kincaid, Editor.

To submit:Finishing Line Press – 2025 Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Prize

FLP is a traditional publisher. FLP pays in royalty payments. There is no fee for the author.

FLP books are distributed by the Ingram Group.

  Please submit via submittable:  http://finishinglinepress.submittable.com/submit

FINISHING LINE PRESS HAS NO READING FEE IN NOVEMBER

The month of November is our annual reading period. During this month we gladly accept manuscripts, and we do not require a reading fee during this month. We are specifically looking for chapbook manuscripts; however, we will gladly read manuscripts of any length or genre during this period.

To submit online: https://finishinglinepress.submittable.com/submit/98800/november-annual-reading-period

If you prefer submitting via regular post, send your manuscript of any length or genre to:

Finishing Line Press

P O Box 1626

Georgetown, KY 40324

USA

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GENERAL CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS

We read manuscripts in November. There is no fee for manuscripts submitted via regular post during the month of November. If you would like to submit outside of the month of November, please see guidelines below:

We read general submissions year round. Please include a $3 reading fee with your manuscript. Submit manuscript of any genre, PLUS bio, acknowledgments, using our online submissions manager:

Please use submittable link: http://finishinglinepress.submittable.com/submit

All manuscripts are selected by editorial process. Response time is 3-6 months.

A self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with the correct postage must accompany all manuscripts. A SASE is needed for any kind of response, even if the writer does not want the material returned.

A good photocopy of the manuscript or a computer printout, rather than the original, should be sent. Finishing Line Press is not responsible for lost manuscripts.

Finishing Line Press is an award-winning small press publisher.

FOR BOOK ORDERS PLEASE EMAIL CHRIS AT flpbookstore@aol.com

Leah Maines, Publisher, leahmaines@aol.com

Christen Kincaid, Director, flpbookstore@aol.com

Kevin Maines, Managing Editor, kevinmaines@aol.com

Ryan Kincaid, Production Manager, finishingbooks@aol.com

Elizabeth Maines, Graphic Design, lmaines0@gmail.com

Maureen Baxter, Editorial Asst., finishingbooks@aol.com

Jackie Steelman, Editorial Asst., XclusivlyU@aol.com (authors send gig info to this email)

Jennifer Winebrenner, Editorial Asst., Flpbookstore@aol.com

Shay McCleavy, Intern, finishingbooks@aol.com

Mimi David, Jeannie Murphy, and Joe Morrison, staff, finishingbooks@aol.com

FLP AUTHORS: If you are seeking permission to reprint individual poems from your collection please contact:

Frederick T. Courtright, President

The Permissions Company, LLC
6101 Old Court Road, #139

Boca Raton, FL 33433

PermDude@gmail.com
www.permissionscompany.com