Established in 1996, the Gearhart Poetry Contest commemorates Michael Wm. Gearhart, a doctoral candidate in creative writing at Florida State University who died at thirty-nine while completing his degree. Administered by Southeast Review, the contest has sustained his memory for three decades, positioning itself as both a memorial and a rigorous annual assessment of contemporary poetry. The journal's biannual print issue provides a tangible archive for winners and finalists, ensuring that selected work enters a curated, lasting record rather than a transient online feature. The 2026 iteration is adjudicated by Li-Young Lee, whose body of work—most recently The Invention of the Darling—and his co-translation of the Dao De Jing attest to a poetics of spiritual inquiry, familial memory, and lyrical precision. His presence signals that the contest seeks poems of interior depth and linguistic care, not merely technical proficiency. The winner receives $750; winners and finalists are notified in Spring 2027 and published in the Fall 2027 issue. This timeline affords judges and editors ample deliberation, and it asks submitters to respect the process by withholding simultaneous submissions only insofar as the guidelines permit. Submissions consist of up to three poems, no more than ten pages total, with no more than one poem per page. Personal identification must be omitted from the manuscript itself, a standard blind-judging protocol that directs the jury's attention solely to the language. The $16 entry fee is a modest barrier that supports the contest's administration and the journal's continued operation. Withdrawal policies are precise: withdraw the entire submission only if none of the poems remain available; to withdraw a single poem, add a note to the submission with the title. This level of procedural clarity is rare and should be read as an invitation to submit with equal care.