Open to published and unpublished authors over the age of 18 who have not received The Porch Prize in a previous year. The manuscript entered must be the author’s original work and be unpublished and uncontracted at the time of deadline and unpublished during the contest judging time itself. If you submit an entry that is accepted for publication prior to our announcement of the winners, please contact us to withdraw the entry. 

Click here to submit to the 2025 Porch Prize. When you submit to The Porch Prize, your work will automatically be considered for the next issue of SWING. However, submission to SWING does NOT automatically enter you into The Porch Prize, unless you pay the entry fee of $15. All manuscript guidelines for SWING are the same for The Porch Prize . . . except poetry. For poetry, click your heels three times like this: 1) make the title of your manuscript in Submittable the title of the poem you are submitting for Porch Prize consideration; 2) indicate in your bio that you are entering a poem in the Porch Prize; 3) indicate in the top corner of the poem itself that this poem is to be considered for the Porch Prize.