The 2026 River Heron Editors’ Prize is a poetry competition administered by River Heron Review, a literary journal edited by Dawn Terpstra and Virginia Smith. The prize is judged by the editors themselves, ensuring that the final selection reflects the journal’s own curatorial sensibilities. The contest operates under the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Contests Code of Ethics, a framework that signals a commitment to transparency and fair practice in literary competitions. Submissions are accepted via Submittable, where each entry is assigned an auto-generated number to facilitate anonymous judging. Poets may submit up to three poems per entry; multiple submissions require an additional form and fee. The entry fee is $15. The guidelines explicitly prohibit the inclusion of names or initials anywhere on the poetry submission, and submissions that do not adhere to this rule will be declined. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but poets must notify the editors immediately through Submittable’s “Messages” section if their work is accepted elsewhere. Poets with a conflict of interest—such as close personal friends or current River Heron Review associates—are asked to refrain from entering. While the prize amount is not specified in the provided information, the opportunity offers poets a chance to have their work evaluated by the editors of a respected literary review. The competition is open to all poets, though the editors emphasize a professional and ethical approach to submissions. The deadline is November 16, 2026. Questions may be directed to editors@riverheronreview.com.