Poetry In Transit

Submissions for Poetry in Transit 2026-27 are now open.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 19, 2026, 11.59 pm PT

Poems eligible for the project must be written by BC writers and published in book form by Canadian publishers. Poems are submitted by publishers for consideration in the project in the spring of each year.

Eligibility criteria for poems/excerpts

• Poems must be published in printed book form (individual collections, chapbooks or anthologies, backlist or frontlist). We welcome submissions from anthologies and children’s poetry. Forthcoming books must be available by September 1, 2026. 
• Only poems that appear in books published within the last three years (September 1, 2023 to September 1, 2026, inclusive) are eligible. 
• Poems must be 14 lines or fewer, including stanza breaks (note that very long lines may not fit on a car card). Excerpts from longer poems are welcome as long as they stand on their own.
• Poems from books previously featured in Poetry in Transit are not eligible for further submissions.

Eligibility criteria for authors

• Poems must be authored by a BC poet. A “BC poet” is defined as an author who has lived in BC for at least three of the last five years. Please make sure that this is the case before submitting.
• For posthumous submissions, the author must have lived in BC for at least three years in the five-year period prior to the date of their death.  
• Publishers may submit as many poets as they choose, with a maximum of 3 poems per poet.
• Books BC encourages submissions from a diverse range of voices including the work of BIPOC writers, writers from the LGBTQIA2S+ community, writers with disabilities, gender-diverse writers, and writers from other marginalized communities.

Who can submit

Submissions must be made by the publisher. With exceptions (see below), poets may not submit their own work.

• Eligible publishers:
  • Members of Books BC (Active, Associate, or Friends)
  • Members of the Association of Canadian Publishers or, its regional affiliates (Book Publishers Association of Alberta, SaskBooks, Association of Manitoba Book Publishers, Ontario Book Publishers Organization, Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec, Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association)
  • Members of the Literary Press Group of Canada
• Self-published poems in book form that are published and printed in Canada are eligible. In this case, authors may submit their own work (assuming they meet the other criteria).

Submission fee

Poetry in Transit is committed to bringing diverse, high-quality, local poetry to the public through transit systems. Maintaining its high standards and operational capacity requires significant financial resources, especially given the realities of ever-increasing project expenses and funding constraints. 

For the 2026-27 campaign, a modest submission fee will be instated for each poet. The decision to implement a submission fee is purely a cost recovery measure. Specifically, this fee will directly offset operational costs related to the jury and selection process, the printing and publication of the bus cards, and the presence of the “Poetry Bus” at the fall launch.   

A $30 submission fee (inclusive of taxes) per poet will be required at the time of submission, and will cover up to three poem/excerpt submissions per poet. This limit of three poems/excerpts per poet is consistent with our already established eligibility criteria.

If the submission fee proves a barrier to participation for your publishing house, please reach out to us for relief options. Books BC continues to be grateful for your enduring support and participation and we look forward to commemorating the 30th year of Poetry in Transit with you.

Selection criteria

The poems will be selected by a jury of poets and a representative of TransLink.

• Poems must be suitable for a general audience consisting of a diversity of ages, cultures, literacy, and interests.
• Submissions must be consistent with TransLink’s advertising guidelines.
• Poems must meet our length requirements.
• Poems will be chosen for their excellence and, if possible, will reflect a variety of styles and forms.
• Where possible, poems will be chosen by consensus among members of the selection committee; inability to agree will be resolved by majority vote.
• No fewer than 60% of the poems (6 of 10) will be chosen from books published by members of the Association of Book Publishers of BC.

Selected poems

If a submission is selected, Books BC will request three copies of the book to be offered as part of a community engagement contest, as well as written permission for Books BC to reproduce the poems and the book covers on car cards and in promotional materials. Excerpts may also be featured in promotions and community engagement activities at Word Vancouver and in TransLink community experience initiatives in collaboration with Books BC. 

The publishers of selected poems will receive reproduction fees. Poets will be offered an opportunity to read their work as part of the Poetry in Transit launch at Word Vancouver (subject to available programming space) and other launch activations in partnership with TransLink.

Questions? Email us.