2026 "Prime 53 Poem" Summer Challenge
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Welcome to our annual "Prime 53 Poem" Summer Challenge!
This is a free contest to celebrate a poetry form invented in 2019 by Press 53 poetry editor Christopher Forrest and publisher & editor in chief Kevin Morgan Watson: the Prime 53 Poem. Open to writers around the world! This summer challenge runs from June 1 until July 31, midnight Eastern time (US). Sorry, no exceptions.
The challenge is to write a Prime 53 Poem, and our top four poems, judged by Chris, will be published in Issue 293 of Prime Number Magazine on September 1, 2026.
Four winners will receive a free paperback book of their choice from Press 53, unless the writer resides outside of the United States (or one of its territories), the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. Anyone residing outside these countries will receive publication only (our printer has printing facilities in the countries mentioned, which makes it affordable for us to print and ship books to these areas).
Your poem must adhere to the following rules:· Total syllable count of 53 · Eleven total lines · First three stanzas are three lines each with a 7 / 5 / 3 syllable count · Final stanza must be two lines with a 5 / 3 syllable count, for a total syllable count of 53 ·
Rhyme scheme (slant/soft rhymes work) aba cdc efe gg The total line count is a prime number (11), the syllable count in each line in first three stanzas is a prime number (7 / 5/ 3), and the syllable count in each line of the last two-line stanza is a prime number (5 / 3), making the poem’s total syllable count a prime number (53).
Prime 53 Poem Sample
Road trips, beaches, and one-wish (a)
trips, backdrops for your (b)
reading lists. (a)
Why not, too, write poetry? (c)
Count your syllables: (d)
fifty-three. (c)
Pens and pads, your tools to pack. (e)
Leave musings there, bring (f)
poems back. (e)
You will feel better, (g)
and smarter. (g)
Four winners will be announced via Submittable, and on the Prime Number Magazine and Press 53 Facebook pages, and to our subscribers (get your free subscription at https://www.press53.com/subscribe).
By entering this competition, the author grants Press 53/Prime Number Magazine First Worldwide Serial Rights to publish their Prime 53 Poem in Issue 293of Prime Number Magazine and the right to permanently archive the poem on our website. All other rights, including copyright, remain with the author upon. Questions should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson.