The MacGuffin

A national literary journal produced at Schoolcraft College.

The MacGuffin’s 29th Annual Poet Hunt Contest

  • Guest judged by Michael Meyerhofer.
  • The contest opens on April 1 and closes June 15.
  • One (1) First Place Winner will receive a prize of $500 and publication.
  • Up to two (2) Honorable Mentions may also be awarded and published.
  • Each entrant will receive one free issue of The MacGuffin that includes the winners of Poet Hunt 29.
  • Grand Prize Winners from the following 10 years, former Poet Hunt guest judges, and past and present staff members and their families are not eligible to participate.

General Submission Guidelines

  1. An entry may consist of up to 5 poems. If more than 5 are sent, only the first 5 will be considered. Each poem can be up to 400 lines long. Poems longer than 400 lines will not be considered.
  2. There is a $15 entry fee. If paying by check or money order, please make payable to “SCHOOLCRAFT COLLEGE.”
  3. Poems submitted may not be previously published and must be the original work of the contestant. Poems may be under consideration elsewhere. The MacGuffin reserves the right to disqualify work that is accepted elsewhere. If possible, please send all withdrawals by Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
  4. Entries will be initially screened by The MacGuffin staff through a blind review process. Based on an anonymous vote, 15 to 20 finalists will be sent to the guest judge for a final blind review with one (1) first place winner and up to two (2) honorable mentions ultimately being selected from this pool.
  5. Winners will be announced in September 2024.
To Submit via Submittable
  • Visit our Submittable page.
  • The Poet Hunt form will not go live until April 1, 2024.
For Email Submissions
  1. Visit The MacGuffin Webstore via the “Shop” tab at schoolcraftbooks.com and purchase a $15 POET HUNT Entry Fee. Note that you will not be charged shipping for this item. Entry fees will only be available for purchase during the entry period, April 1 – June 15.
  2. After you’ve purchased an entry fee, please send your submission as a Word .doc via email to [email protected] and include “POET HUNT 29” in the subject line. Reference your order number in the first line of the email. Order numbers are six digits long.
  3. The first page of your Word .doc should include your name, order number (again), mailing address (for your complimentary issue), and phone number. We will only use this information to contact you in light of a problem with your submission and to announce the winners of the contest. On this same page, please list the titles of the poems you are entering.
  4. On the following pages, please include your poems, beginning each one on a new page.
  5. You will receive a confirmation email when we receive your submission and log it into our database. Please note that this is not an automatic process so there could be a delay of up to a few days before you hear back from us. Thank you for your patience.
  6. Entries will be considered up until June 15, 2024 at 11:59:59 p.m. PDT.
For Postal Submissions
  1. Poems must be typed or printed on sheets of 8½″ × 11″ paper. Clean photo copies are acceptable. Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the poems.
  2. Each entrant must include an index card that lists the titles of the poems entered along with the contestant’s name, address, daytime telephone number, and email address. This information will only be used to contact you in light of a problem with your submission, to mail your complimentary copy, and to announce the winners of the contest.
  3. No entries will be returned. Please do not send an SASE.
  4. Entries must be postmarked between  April 1 and June 15, 2024.
  5. Mail entries to:

    THE MACGUFFIN
    POET HUNT CONTEST
    Schoolcraft College
    18600 Haggerty Road
    Livonia, MI 48152

Please direct any questions to Gordon Krupsky, Managing Editor, via email at [email protected]. Happy writing and good luck!