International Poetry Book Prize 2026: How to Get Your Unpublished Collection Translated and Published Bilingually

If you have a finished poetry manuscript sitting on your hard drive, this is the kind of opportunity that can change what that file means in your life.

The V Dolors Alberola Poetry Prize 2026, run by Editorial DALYA, is not about tossing a single poem into the void and hoping it survives a contest. It is about your entire unpublished collection becoming a real book, in print, in two languages, with royalties, and a serious push toward international readers.

There is no restriction on nationality, gender, or language. You can be writing in Arabic in Nairobi, French in Dakar, English in Lagos, Portuguese in Maputo, Spanish in Madrid, or Basque in a village nobody has heard of. As long as your manuscript is unpublished and in an official language of the world, you are in the running.

This is a literary prize that treats poets like authors, not like content providers. The winner gets a bilingual edition of their collection, a professional translation into another European language, physical copies, and royalties on sales and subsidiary rights. Finalists do not go home empty-handed either: they also get their collections published in Spanish.

Is it competitive? Absolutely. Is it worth it? For any poet who has a full manuscript ready (or nearly ready), this is exactly the sort of contest you clear your calendar for.

V Dolors Alberola Poetry Prize 2026 at a Glance

What This Poetry Prize Actually Offers

Most poetry contests give you a cash prize, a pat on the back, and maybe a line in your bio. This one offers a book and a readership.

If you win, your collection will be:

• Translated into another European language.
  That means your work is not just reproduced; it is carefully recreated for a new audience. For a poet, this is no small matter. Translation opens doors: festivals, reviews, international anthologies, and academic attention that simply do not happen if you remain locked in one language.

• Published as a bilingual edition.
  Readers will see your original text alongside the translation. This is a huge plus for purists who want to experience your music in the original, as well as for scholars, students, and multilingual readers. A bilingual book often has a longer shelf life and more programming potential in universities and cultural centers.

• Printed and distributed, with 50 copies in your hands.
  Fifty author copies is generous. It means you can send books to reviewers, prizes, libraries, festivals, and the people who helped you write the thing in the first place.

• Royalties and subsidiary rights.
  This is not a one-and-done prize. You earn money from sales and from any additional uses of the work (for example, foreign rights deals or other editions). Many poetry contests treat your book like a ceremonial object. DALYA treats it as a commercial and cultural product tied to your name and income.

If you become a finalist, the prize is still serious:

• Publication in Spanish.
  Even if you do not win the top spot, your manuscript can still become a book in Spanish. For non-Spanish speakers, that is entry into a vast reading world across Spain and Latin America. For Spanish speakers, it means a proper editorial launch rather than a DIY project.

• 10 author copies.
  Enough to use for submissions, gifts, and promotion.

In short: this is a competition structured around the idea that poets deserve international circulation and a proper publication pipeline, not a one-time applause.

Who Should Seriously Consider Applying

This prize is open to all writers worldwide. The door is wide, but the bar is high.

You are a strong candidate if:

• You have a full-length collection of poems that feels cohesive, whether through theme, voice, or formal approach.
• You write in any official language (from English to Amharic to Swahili to Turkish). The organizers are serious about equal participation regardless of language.
• Your manuscript is unpublished and un-awarded. That means:
  • No previous publication as a book, chapbook, or ebook.
  • No self-publication on platforms like Amazon as a complete collection.
  • Individual poems may have appeared in journals, but the collection as a whole must be new.

The size requirement is precise: 500 to 800 lines or verses. That is roughly:

• A shortish book if your poems are long.
• A substantial, full-length collection if your poems are short.

Think in terms of line count, not page count. A sonnet has 14 lines. Forty sonnets plus some longer poems can get you into range. Free verse counts line by line, not sentence by sentence.

The contest is ideal for:

• Emerging poets who have a first manuscript ready and are looking for a launch beyond local presses.
• Mid-career poets who want to break into new linguistic and geographic spaces.
• Poets from Africa and other underrepresented regions who write in any official language and want a tangible route into European and Spanish-language publishing ecosystems.
• Formally adventurous writers: any form, style, or subject is allowed. Experimental, traditional, confessional, political, minimalist—it is all fair game as long as it is strong.

You should not apply if:

• Your submission is a translation of another author’s work. That is explicitly ineligible.
• Your manuscript is already under contract or published somewhere.
• You only have a handful of poems and are trying to stretch them into a book. Reviewers can tell when a manuscript is padded.

How to Submit Your Manuscript

The technical side is simple, but you need to follow directions precisely.

Your manuscript must be typed and organized as a single document. On the front page, include:

• The title of your collection.
• The name of the author, which can be your real name or a pseudonym.

Yes, they repeat that requirement in their description. Take the hint: do not forget the title and the author name on the first page. That front page is your ID badge in the stack.

You submit your work online via the Editorial DALYA system. After your submission goes through, you will receive an email confirmation acknowledging that they received your entry. If you do not, check your spam folder, and if nothing appears after a reasonable time, resubmit or contact them.

You can only send one manuscript. That means you should resist the temptation to send three half-baked collections and instead send the one book you most believe in.

Insider Tips for a Winning Poetry Collection Submission

Plenty of good manuscripts will be submitted. Your job is to submit a memorable one.

1. Treat the collection as a book, not a pile of poems

Judges are reading for coherence. That does not mean every poem must be on the exact same theme, but the book should feel like it belongs together.

Ask yourself:

• Is there a thread—emotional, thematic, formal, or narrative—that holds these pieces in conversation?
• Do the first and last poems feel like deliberate choices, not random ones?

If you removed three poems at random, would the book still make sense? If yes, good. If no, maybe you are relying too much on a few star pieces instead of building a strong whole.

2. Obsess over ordering

The sequence of poems is not cosmetic; it shapes the way the judges experience your work.

Try:

• Opening with a poem that establishes your voice quickly.
• Avoiding three very similar poems in a row unless repetition is part of a clear design.
• Placing your riskier pieces where the reader is already invested (say, mid-book) rather than at the front where you still need to earn their trust.

Print the whole thing and read it aloud in order. Wherever your attention drops, your reader’s will too.

3. Watch your line count

They want 500–800 lines. Not pages. Lines.

Sit down and literally count or use your word processor’s line numbering function. Being outside that range screams “I did not read the rules carefully.”

If you are slightly over, tighten weaker poems or remove one that feels less essential. If you are short, adding a rushed poem in a different key is worse than submitting a leaner but within-range manuscript. Aim for something comfortably within the window, e.g., 550–750.

4. Make language and style choices deliberate

Because any subject and style are allowed, the competition is not about picking the right theme. It is about execution.

Ask:

• Does each poem justify its presence?
• Am I repeating the same move (same tone, same structure) so often that it becomes predictable?
• Are the images fresh, or are they inherited from a thousand other poems about love, war, or childhood?

Judges read hundreds of collections. Clichés stand out like neon signs.

5. Clean formatting, no distractions

Your manuscript should be clean and readable:

• Use a legible font and consistent spacing.
• Keep formatting simple so the focus is on the words, not visual gimmicks.
• Double-check spelling and punctuation. A few typos will not kill you, but persistent sloppiness tells reviewers you did not care enough.

6. Consider how your work might live bilingually

Since the winning collection will become a bilingual book, think about how your poems might travel into another language.

You do not need to change your style, but clarity of image, precision of metaphor, and a strong underlying structure often translate well. Poems that rely exclusively on untranslatable puns may have a harder road, though a skilled translator can do a lot.

Suggested Application Timeline (Working Back from February 15, 2026)

You can hit “submit” in an afternoon. You cannot prepare a winning manuscript in an afternoon. Here is a realistic schedule if you start several months ahead.

October–November 2025: Solidify the manuscript

• Gather your best poems and assemble a rough order.
• Count the lines and adjust to get within the 500–800 range.
• Identify gaps: Do you need one or two new poems to bridge sections? Are there weaker pieces that should be replaced?

December 2025: Deep revision

• Revise both individual poems and the overall sequence.
• Read the entire collection aloud, preferably to a trusted listener.
• Ask one or two serious readers—or fellow poets—to read the whole book. Tell them you want brutal honesty about which poems lag or feel out of place.

Early January 2026: Final polishing

• Implement feedback and revise again, focusing on clarity, rhythm, and consistency of voice.
• Check that your first and last poems feel like strong anchors.
• Verify you have not previously published the collection as a whole.

Late January – Early February 2026: Formatting and submission prep

• Format the manuscript: one file, typed, consistent layout.
• Create your front page with the title and your name or pseudonym.
• Save a final version (and back it up).

By February 10, 2026: Submit

• Do not wait until February 15. Technical problems love last-minute applicants.
• Submit through the official link.
• Confirm that you receive the acknowledgment email; if not, troubleshoot.

Then stop tinkering. Your job is done.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

This competition is refreshingly simple in terms of paperwork. Still, the few required pieces deserve attention.

You will need:

• A complete, typed manuscript
  This is the book itself: 500–800 lines, unpublished, consistent formatting. Save as a standard file type (usually PDF or DOC/DOCX—check the portal instructions).

• A front page with key details
  The first page of your document must clearly show:

  • The title of the collection.
  • Your name or pseudonym.

  If you use a pseudonym, keep a record of which name you used for this contest so you don’t confuse future submissions.

• Contact information via the online form
  While not detailed in the raw text, the submission portal will typically ask for your name, email, and possibly your country or language. Fill these accurately. This is how they will reach you for results and contracts.

Treat the whole package as if you are sending it to a future publisher—because you are.

What Makes an Application Stand Out to Judges

We do not have the official scoring rubric, but based on how serious poetry prizes generally work, you can assume judges care about several key axes.

1. Artistic quality

The first test is simple: Is this good poetry?

• Original, precise language.
• Emotional or intellectual depth.
• A sense that the poet knows what they are doing, even when they bend or break rules.

2. Coherence of the collection

A standout manuscript will feel like one book, not fifty PDFs stapled together.

Judges look for:

• Recurring concerns, images, or tones that mark the work as yours.
• Development: something shifts, deepens, or widens between the first and last pages.
• A structure that carries the reader through, whether it is chronological, thematic, or more subtle.

3. Voice and distinctiveness

Plenty of poets are good. Fewer are recognizable.

A standout submission gives the sense that:

• If you pulled one poem out of context, it would still feel like it belongs to the same poet.
• The book would not be mistaken for any other finalist’s work.

4. Technical control

Even if you are writing in free verse, there is still craft:

• Attention to line breaks and stanza shapes.
• Rhythm and sound patterns.
• Control over imagery and metaphor.

Judges tend to notice when technique is carrying the poem versus when it is performed on autopilot.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

You can dramatically improve your odds by dodging a few very fixable errors.

1. Sending a draft, not a book

Many poets submit too early because they are excited. The judges can tell when:

• Half the poems feel like workshop exercises.
• The sequence is chaotic.
• The book has obvious filler.

If a poem doesn’t pull its weight, cut it.

2. Ignoring the line count

Submitting 350 lines or 1,200 lines signals that you either didn’t read the rules or assumed they don’t apply to you. Neither is a great look.

Take the range seriously and adjust.

3. Reusing an already awarded or published collection

If your collection has already been published, even in a small edition, or has already won another prize as a book, it’s ineligible. Publishing ethics matter here, and judges do sometimes check.

You risk disqualification and a damaged reputation if you ignore this.

4. Sloppy presentation

You don’t need fancy design, but you do need basic care:

• Don’t submit with tracked changes visible.
• Don’t scatter strange fonts and alignments everywhere.
• Do check for repeated titles, missing pages, or broken lines.

A sloppy file suggests a sloppy mind, and poetry depends on attention.

5. Sending more than one work

They are clear: one work per writer. Don’t try to sneak in two under different names, and don’t email extra sets of poems later “just in case.” Choose, commit, and stand by that manuscript.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there a fee to enter?
The source text doesn’t mention an entry fee. If cost is a concern, check the official page before you assume anything. Many serious book prizes either charge a small fee or are free; if it’s free, even better.

2. Can I submit if I have already published individual poems from the manuscript?
In most book contests, this is allowed as long as the collection as a whole hasn’t been published as a book or chapbook. The rules here specify that the collection must not have been published or awarded previously. To stay safe, avoid including any poem that appears in a previous standalone book of yours.

3. What counts as “any official language of the world”?
Generally, this means languages that are officially recognized by a state or major institution (for example, Arabic, English, Kiswahili, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, etc.). If you work in a regional or minority language, the safest move is to check with the organizers or pair it with an officially recognized variant.

4. Can I submit from Africa or other regions outside Europe?
Yes. The prize is explicitly international, and nothing limits submissions by region. The “Africa” tag in the source simply indicates that African poets are especially encouraged or included.

5. Can I submit a collection in translation that I made of another poet’s work?
No. They clearly state that translations of another author’s work are not eligible. The book must be your own original poems.

6. What happens if I win or am a finalist—do I have to do more work?
You will likely work with the publisher on final edits, approvals, and contractual details regarding royalties and rights. You may also be involved in promotional activities, readings, or interviews. It is part of the good news.

7. Will I keep rights to my work?
You retain authorship of your poems. The publisher will have rights to publish and distribute the edition and probably certain subsidiary rights for a defined period. Read any contract carefully and, if possible, have someone with publishing experience look it over.

How to Apply and What to Do Next

If you are even mildly tempted by this prize, treat that as a sign to take your manuscript seriously over the next few months.

Here is a concrete action plan:

1. Assess where you are.
   Do you already have 500–800 lines of strong poetry that feel like a book? If yes, move into revision. If no, identify how many solid poems you realistically need to add.

2. Shape the manuscript.
   Create a working table of contents. Decide on a provisional order. Read the whole thing in one sitting and mark any poem that causes your energy to drop.

3. Revise with the prize in mind.
   Remember that this is not only a contest; it is a potential bilingual publication with royalties. Send in the version of your book you would not be embarrassed to see in bookstores.

4. Prepare the file.
   Type it cleanly, add the front page with title and name or pseudonym, and save in a sensible file format.

5. Submit well before the deadline.
   Visit the official submission portal and follow the instructions:

   Apply here:
   https://edalya.com/index.php/en/daipc-upload?view=form&layout=edit

6. Keep writing while you wait.
   Results take time. Whether you win, place as a finalist, or not, you want to have the next set of poems already on the way.

If you have a serious poetry manuscript and a serious desire to reach readers beyond your current circle, the V Dolors Alberola Poetry Prize 2026 is not just “another contest.” It is a potential on-ramp to life as an internationally published poet.