2026 CROSSROADS CONTEST
Now Open for Submissions!
 | Deadline for Entry: We invite all active ESWA members in good standing of Eastern Shore Writers Association to submit a poem or micro-fiction story to our 8th annual Crossroads Contest. Known as the "Crossroads of Delmarva," Salisbury is the largest city on the Eastern Shore. The contest will be judged by none other than The City of Salisbury Poet Laureate, Nancy Mitchell. A special reading will take place the evening of Thursday, July 30th from 7:30-9 PM during Thursdays with ESWA, where the top ten finalists will be invited to read on Zoom where the winners will be announced LIVE! |
Prizes First Place: Second Place: Third Place: All winners will also be considered for nomination to the Pushcart Prize. ____________________________________ |
Submission Details
Submit 1 poem (60 lines maximum) OR 1 micro-fiction story (300 words maximum) in MS Word or DOCX as an attachment to: eswathecrossroads@gmail.com
Please ensure your writing is submitted in a readable font (we prefer Arial, Garamond, or Times New Roman), size 12.
Please also remove all identifying information from the document prior to sending.
You may only submit once. Further entries will NOT be judged.
In the body of your email, please include the following:
- Your Name (as you would like it to appear in all promotional material)
- Mailing Address (Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code)
- Telephone Number
- Email Address
- A Current Bio – no more than 75 words written in 3rd person (Click here if you need more information on creating a solid bio.)
- A high resolution head shot (click here for instructions on how to take one with your phone.)
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Please Note
Writing should be original, human-generated work (NO AI or plagiarism) and previously unpublished.
Simultaneous submissions are NOT accepted for this year's contest as we will be publishing the top three winning entries in the 2026 Bay to Ocean Journal. You should note that the Bay to Ocean Journal submits to the Pushcart and other noted prizes.
Previous 1st place winners are not eligible to enter.
You must be an active member of ESWA in good standing to submit to this contest.
Please review these guidelines carefully, submissions that do not follow the guidelines will not be eligible for entry.
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Your membership includes free entry to the Crossroads Contest, the
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About This Year’s Judge
Salisbury Poet Laureate, Nancy Mitchell
NANCY MITCHELL is a recipient of the prestigious Pushcart Prize, author of The Near Surround, Grief Hut, and The Out-of-Body Shop, poetry collections that have earned praise from celebrated poets Gerald Stern, Jean Valentine, and Ira Sadoff among others. She has been published in acclaimed journals such as Agni, Green Mountains Review, Ploughshares, and Washington Square Review, and has been awarded numerous residency fellowships from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in VA and France and Oregon State University. She is Editor for Special Features for Plume Poetry and serves as the Poet Laureate of the City of Salisbury, Maryland, USA. Her next book is forthcoming from Four Way Books in 2027.
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