The Barbara Stevens Poetry Manuscript Book Competition is an annual contest administered by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, an organization with a long-standing commitment to supporting poets across the United States. This competition is specifically for full-length poetry manuscripts, offering poets the opportunity to have a book-length work considered for publication. The judge for the 2026 cycle will be announced, and the competition maintains a policy of blind judging to ensure fairness. The competition is open to all poets writing in English, with the exception of previous Stevens Competition winners. Friends, colleagues, and students of the judge are asked to postpone their entries until a future year, preserving the integrity of the judging process. Manuscripts may include previously published poems, but they should not be a compilation of entire previously published chapbooks. The winning manuscript will be published, and the winner will be required to provide an acknowledgments page before publication. Manuscripts must be 48 to 80 pages of poetry, including section title pages but excluding front matter. Notes on poems, if any, should be included in the page count. The manuscript should be single-spaced and must not contain any author identification, bio notes, acknowledgments, or blurbs. The competition seeks original work by a single author and prohibits content that is hate-mongering or abusive of any social, racial, ethnic, religious, or gender group, as well as gratuitous use of obscene or profane language. The entry fee is $20 USD, and the deadline is October 16, 2026.