Zhagaram Literary Magazine presents
The Yaazh Poetry Prize
1947
About
The Yaazh Literary Prize, presented by Zhagaram Literary Magazine, is an award that recognizes exceptional Indian poetry. In its first edition, the prize seeks to celebrate work that captures the diverse essence of Indian culture and heritage. The first finalist will receive Rs. 6000 as prize money and the shortlisted poets will all be featured in a special issue. To support us with this prize, learn more about our mission and how to donate.
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Read about Zhagaram Literary Magazine to understand our vision. Please make sure to read the submission guidelines in detail before submitting. Failure to comply will make it difficult for us and may lead to disqaulification.​
We want poems that represent the core essence and ethos of India. We're looking for unique experiences that extend beyond general Indian stereotypes. Poems need not have to encapsulate the entire Indian experience as a whole. Show us one tiny glimpse, and show it well. Be the voice for the unheard histories of this land, the patriotism among the common people and an echo of ancient grief. We are in particular excited about poems that are in English but integrate regional languages within it—the dialogue and the politics of it all. We love mythologies, lingusitics, history and modern portraits in poetry. We eagerly welcome women poets and poets writing from marginalized communities within India.​
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Submission Period 2025:
03 July - 30 September​
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Eligibility: must be an Indian; any age.
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Shortlisted poets will be required to produce a copy of their Aadhar card for verification of Indian nationality
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Submissions through Google Forms only. Email submissions won't be considered.
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Written work must be primarily in English but can contain words and phrases from other Indian languages. Please mention relevant translations in such cases.
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Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please make sure you withdraw your work as soon as possible if your work is accepted before we could.
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Response Time: 1 month
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Detailed feedback available for a small fee.
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Please submit only once during this submission period.
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Any form of plagiarism won't be tolerated. We also do not appreciate work that promotes any form of hatred.
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If you have any doubts regarding submissions, please feel free to email us with the subject: QUERY
Specific Guidelines
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One winner of The Yaazh Poetry Prize will receive Rs. 6000 as prize money​
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Along with the winner, the final shortlisted poets will be featured in a special issue
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Submit 1 poem in a single document. Preferrably in EB Garamond, 12 pt.
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If your poem has words from other languages, please include their translations at the end of the page.
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Provide necessary context and required trigger warnings (asked in the Google Form). Asking for context might be a less common practice especially when blind reading of submissions is promoted as a solution for reducing bias. However, as a literary magazine that publishes work rooted in culture, it's important for us to be aware of the cultural context the poem originates from. It is impossible for a single person (the editor) to be aware of cultural nuances from all around the world and a blatant dismissal of these nuances in pursuit of supposed literary merit is not the solution. Zhagaram promises to treat your poem, and as an extension, your heritage, with care.
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Single poem submissions are free. For submission of multiple poems (additional entries), you may submit with a small fee of Rs. 85 per additional poem. In case of simultaneous submissions being accepted elsewhere, this fee cannot be refunded.
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Submit below for free general submissions
If you use ChillSubs, we'd be grateful if you track your submission to Zhagaram. Thank you!
EXTENSIVE FEEDBACK ON SUBMISSIONS
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For a nominal fee of Rs. 180 per poem, your submission will be returned with a decision and extensive feedback.
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All poetry guidelines mentioned above apply.
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If accepted, no feedback will be provided. In this case, the fee will be refunded.
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Please note that you may not resubmit the same poem if rejected, after feedback considerations.
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You can pay via Paypal or Google Pay. Please make sure to mention 'Feedback Submission [First Name]'
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For security purposes, please upload a screenshot of your transaction when you submit.
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Please use the below submission form ONLY to submit.
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In case of any confusions, please feel free to contact and clarify: zhagaramliterary@gmail.com
PUBLISHING RIGHTS
All rights belongs to the concerned contributor. We request for publication rights to print your work digitally and to promote it on social media. You may republish your work elsewhere as long as Zhagaram Literary is credited as the first publisher.
PAYMENT
The first finalist will be given the prize money of Rs. 6000 through UPI payment only. The other finalists will not be compensated monetarily but will be featured in a special issue.
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This prize money was made available through 'pay-what-you-like' sales of our previous issues and through our feedback services. If you would like to help us in awarding more poets, please consider buying one of our issues or spreading word about the magazine and our poems.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE
Zhagaram is run by a single editor and we hope to diversify our team as we keep growing. However, as of now, this means that our knowledge and understanding of the world and its cultures is very limited. This might lead to discrepancies in publishing and if any piece of work published by Zhagaram is ever found to have expressed problematic ideas and views, we kindly reserve the right to take it down.