Submission deadline October 1, 2026
The Red Penguin Collection is thrilled to announce open submissions for Stand Out — The Red Penguin Collection Annual Poetry Project, Vol. 2, the second edition of our annual open-prompt poetry anthology.
This project is rooted in our core mission: Stand Out.
We are seeking poems that are bold, distinctive, unexpected, and authentic—work that refuses to blend into the background.
There is no single theme beyond the idea of standing out. We welcome:
If your poem takes a risk, tells a truth, bends form, challenges expectations, or simply feels unmistakably yours—we want to read it.
Poets of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to submit. Whether you’re a long-time contributor to The Red Penguin Collection or a first-time submitter discovering us for the first time, this anthology is meant to celebrate individual voice and artistic courage.
Selected poets will be published in a professionally produced anthology alongside a diverse and vibrant group of writers who exemplify what it means to stand out on the page. Contributors become part of the growing Red Penguin family, a community built on creativity, inclusivity, and bold expression.
Ask yourself as you submit:
What makes this poem stand out—and why couldn’t it belong to anyone else?
Guidelines on how to send in your submissions:
– The submission is in 12pt, Times New Roman font.
– The formatting of your submission is single-spaced, with no spaces in-between paragraphs, unless otherwise necessary.
– The margins of your pages are one inch all around, with no headers or footers.
– There is only one space after a terminal punctuation mark (period, question mark, etc.)
– The title of your submission and the name you wish to be published under are clearly stated at the top of the first page.
– Each piece is to be submitted in its own document and with its own form.