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Poetry Competitions

 

How to Enter Them - Beware of scams.

Please Note

The information given here is for GUIDANCE ONLY.

While every effort is made to ensure that it is accurate, before entering any listed competition you should

obtain full rules and an entry form from the organisers.  Information is provided by the organisers of the competitions

and we cannot accept any liability for its accuracy.

 

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19th June 2024 1st £110

entry £3.50
POETRY KIT SPRING COMPETITION 2024 Enter by midnight on 19th June 2024 1st prize value is  £110. Entry fees are as follows; 1 poem £3.50 3 Poems £8.00 5 poems £10 Competition Judge; Anthony McDonnell FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ENTER ONLINE SEE
https://www.poetrykit.org/comp-spring.htm
7th June 2024 1st  £200

entry  £5
Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2024
Open to previously unpublished poems on any subject (60 lines max). Winners will be announced at an online awards ceremony, and all longlisted poems will appear in Canterbury Festival's 'Poet of the Year' anthology.
Judges Luigi Marcini, Derek Sellen, Mara Adamitz Scrupe
Prizes First: £200 Second: £100 Third: £50
see Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition 2024 - Canterbury Festival
14th June 2024 1st £100


entry £3 
Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition
The Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition is now open and are accepting entries.
Entrants are welcome to submit a maximum of five poems, 40 lines max each. Poems must be written in the English language and can be on any subject, but the overall theme of this year's festival is Mental Health.
Poems will be judged under four categories: – Under 11’s, 11-18's, HP5 Residents, and Rest Of The World.
A cash prize of £100 will be awarded to the winning poet in each category.
Judges: Jon Bickley, Ben Batten, Valerie Jack, and Emily Rose Townsend
See https://www.facebook.com/CheshamLiteraryFestival
15th June 2024 !st £100

entry free
Queen's English Society Poetry Competition
The Queen's English Society Poetry Competition is now open for submissions.
The theme of the competition is Anniversary. Each entrant may submit two poems not previously published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere.
The winning poet will receive a cash prize of £100, and the poem will be published on the Queen's English Society website and respective social media platforms. The runner-up will also be published. Winning poems are occasionally published in the Society's quarterly magazine, Quest.
Judge: Dorothy Pope
See https://queens-english-society.org 
19th June 2024 1st £110

entry £3.50
POETRY KIT SPRING COMPETITION 2024 Enter by midnight on 19th June 2024 1st prize value is  £110. Entry fees are as follows; 1 poem £3.50 3 Poems £8.00 5 poems £10 Competition Judge; Anthony McDonnell FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ENTER ONLINE SEE
https://www.poetrykit.org/comp-spring.htm
21st June 2024

1st £250

 

 

Entry £1.50 per poem (under 18s free)

Black in White Poetry Competition 2024

About: Have you experienced or observed racism, prejudice, unconscious bias or microaggressions as a child or working adult? Write a poem about this to bring insight and illumination, and help drive change. Poems can be any length and must be unpublished. Open to all poets from around the world (submissions in English language only).

Categories: 1) Childhood racism 2) Workplace racism.

Prizes per category: 1st £250, 2nd £125, 3rd £75

Other prizes: Special prize for best under 18s poem; prize winning and up to 25 highly commended poems will be published in a new Black in White anthology

Judges: Charlotte Shyllon, Rick Dove

Details: https://www.blackinwhiteservices.co.uk/poetry-competition-2024
28th June 2024 1st £300

entry £5
The Dark Poets Prize
Entrants are able to submit a maximum of 15 entries, 300 words per poem.
The winning poet will receive a cash prize of £300, a Dark Poets Prize certificate, and a Dark Poets Club t-shirt. Entries that do not win may still be considered for publication.
Judges: Christopher Sedgwick and Erika Jane
see - https://www.darkpoets.club/dark-poets-prize
30th June 2024

1st  £1,000

Entry fee £6

Wells Festival of Literature’s Open Poetry Competition Judge Anthony Joseph. Prize giving will be on Friday 23rd October during the Wells Festival of Literature.  1st prize £1,000, 2nd £500,

3rd £250 Local Prize £100.  All those poets who make it onto the short list are invited to read their poems during the special Festival event when the winners will be announced by the judge.  All 25 to 30 poems will appear on the website and be included in our Poetry booklet.

Visit our website for further details https://www.wellsfestivaloflierature.org.uk

30th June 2024 1st £150


Entry £5
Ware Poets 2024 Open Poetry Competition
The Ware Poets 2024 Open Poetry Competition is now open for submissions for poets aged 16 or over.
Poems may be on any subject, must be previously unpublished, and no longer than 50 lines. Judge: Paul Stephenson
There are three cash prizes of £150 (3rd), £300 (2nd), and £600 (1st). A cash prize of £150 will be given to the poet with the best sonnet submitted. Winning and commended poems will be published in our competition anthology.
see Competition 2024 — Ware Poets
30th June 2024 1st £500


entry £6
International Welsh Poetry Competition 2024
An English language poetry competition, now in its 18th year. Open to unpublished poems of no more than 50 lines. There is no age limit for entrants.
Prizes  First: £500   Second: £250   Third: £100
There will also be prizes for runners-up
Judge Kathy Miles
see  Entry - Welsh Poetry Competition
1st July 2024 1st  E150




entry E10

The Ballybunion Arts Festival Poetry competitions are now open for submissions. This year, we have our two regular competitions, plus we have an under-18 competition.

The Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition
This is our English-speaking poetry competition which carries three prizes:
First: €150
Second: €100
Third: €50

Comórtas Filíochta – ‘An Trá’ 

Our poetry competition in the Irish Language also carries three prizes:

First €150
Second: €100
Third: €50

The Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition and Comórtas Filíochta – ‘An Trá’

Email and Postal entries welcome  cost of entering is €10 for two poems  50 lines maximum

Competition closes at 6pm on 1st July

Winners will be notified and prizes will be presented on opening night of the Festival, 21st July 2023

Judging both competitions is Matt Mooney

A poetry competition for children up to the age of 18 carries the following prizes:
First: Book tokens to the value of €50
Second: Book tokens to the value of €30
Third: Book tokens to the value of €20

Terms and conditions for Under-18 Competition

email and Postal entries welcome  cost of entering is €5 for two poems  50 lines maximum

Competition closes at 6pm on 1st July  Winners will be notified and prizes will be presented on opening night of the Festival, 21st July 2023. 

judging the Under-18 Competition is Eileen Sheehan.details for all competitions:

See  https://revolut.me/bafrev

19th July 2024 1st £2000


entry £5

Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry 

Info:The Morrab Library in Penzance has partnered with The Dennis Myner Trust to host The Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry 2024. The international poetry competition will be judged by Cornwall-based poet Katrina Naomi. The competition does not have a theme. Entries may be written in any form or style, in up to 40 lines, and to be eligible, they must be original and not previously published. The poems will be judged anonymously, allowing those penning their first poem to compete alongside poets more deeply established in their career. The competition also features a new “Sonnet Prize” for the best poem written in this form; this additional prize will be judged by Arizona-based poet Jodie Hollander.

Closing date: 19th July 2024
Entry Fee: £5 (one entry per person)

Prizes: £2000 for first prize; £1000 for second prize; and £500 for third prize. This year, there is a new, additional, “Sonnet Prize”, an award for the best poem written in this form. It will be judged separately and the winner will receive prize money of £1500.

Judges: Overall competition judge: Katrina Naomi. Sonnet Prize judge: Jodie Hollander.

Line limit: 40 lines (not including title)
Competition Websitemorrablibrary.org.uk/poetryprize2024

Social media: Instagram @pepoetryprize

19th July 2024 1st  £75



entry free

Children's Poetry Competition | Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry 

InfoThe Morrab Library in Penzance has partnered with The Dennis Myner Trust to host The Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry 2024. The international children’s competition is free to enter and does not have a theme to allow young writers to express their creativity freely and let their imagination run wild. Poems may be written in any form or style but must be original. The poems will be judged anonymously by a trio of judges: Annamaria Murphy, Dicky Souray and Keith Sparrow. They are all based in Cornwall: Annamaria is a teacher, writer and former creative director of The Writers' Block; Keith is also frequently found running workshops at The Writers’ Block and is a writer, illustrator and performer; Dicky is the founder of SproutSpoken, a spoken word poetry project raising the profile of the form across Cornwall. 

Closing date: 19th July 2024

Entry Fee: Free to enter (one entry per child) 

Prizes: The prize money in the 4-11 category will be: £75 for first prize, £50 for second prize and £25 for third prize and  in the 12-17 year old category it will be £150 for first prize, £100 for second prize and £50 for third prize.

Judges: Annmaria Murphy, Dicky Souray and Keith Sparrow 

Line limit: 40 lines (not including title)

Competition Websitemorrablibrary.org.uk/childrenspoetryprize2024

Social media: Instagram @pepoetryprize

31st July 2024 1st £1000



entry £10
The Stephen Spender Prize 2024
Open Entry (18+) category. Also teachers and Schools prizes
Entrants are welcome to submit an English translation of a published poems from any language, ancient or modern, together with a commentary of up to 300 words. The translation should be max. 60 lines (extracts are accepted). All forms and genres are welcome, including texts from rap, spoken word and slam poetry. The prize also welcomes translations from sign language.
There are three cash prizes of £250 (3rd), £500 (2nd), and £1,000 (1st).
All winners will be published on the Stephen Spender Trust website and in the Stephen Spender Prize 2024 booklet, as well as being invited to participate in a livestreamed awards ceremony in the autumn. The winner of First Prize will also be published in Modern Poetry in Translation magazine.
Judges: Jennifer Wong and Taher Ade
see - https://www.stephen-spender.org/stephen-spender-prize/open-entry/
31st July 2024 1st £200


entry  £4
The Gloucestershire Poetry Society 2024 Open Poetry Competition in conjunction with Black Eyes Publishing.
1st £200  Runner up £80  Third Prize £30   Entrants can be of any writing level and experience. All longlisted poems will be made eligible for the 2024 Competition Anthology.
Judge: Helen Ivory
see  The Gloucestershire Poetry Society an all-inclusive space for Page Poetry & Spoken Word
31st July 2024 !st  £1000

entry £10
The New Writers Poetry Competition 2024
Poems submitted must be up to 42 lines each, excluding title and line spaces.
There are three cash prizes of £200 (3rd), £300 (2nd), and £1,000 (1st). The three winning poems will be published on the NewWriters.org.uk website and in a new future New Writers anthology.
Judge: Jordan Hamel
see - https://newwriters.org.uk/poetry-competition/
31st July 2024 1st  £1000


entry £6

Winchester Poetry Prize 2024.

Judge: Clare Shaw. Winners announced live at prize-giving event on Sat 5th Oct in Winchester. 1st prize: £1000, 2nd prize: £500, 3rd prize: £250. Kathryn Bevis Prize: £150 plus year long tuition from The Writing School Online. Longlist and winners feature in printed anthology. Entry fee: £6 for first poem, £5 for subsequent poemsDetails, rules and how to enter: www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/prize

12 August 2024 1st £100

entry £5
Clevedon LitFest More Than Words Poetry Competition
The Clevedon LitFest More Than Words Poetry Competition is now open for submissions from poets who are residents in the UK aged 19 and over.
Poets are welcome to submit up to three poems written in English of no more than 40 lines in length (excluding lines).
There are prizes of £50 (3rd), £75 (2nd), and £100 (1st). There is also a cash prize of £50 for a commended North Somerset author, if not a prizewinner.
see  Poetry & Short Story Competitions | Clevedon LitFest CIO
31st August 2024 1st £250

entry £5
Shelley Memorial Project Annual Poetry Competition 2024
The Shelley Memorial Project Annual Poetry Competition is now open for entries.
Judge: Liz Barnes
The theme for this year's competition is The Changing Seasons. Entrants are encouraged to submit poems that apply a 21st century interpretation to this theme that inspired so much of Shelley's work.
There are three cash prizes of £50 (3rd), £100 (2nd), £250 (1st). There will also be an award for the best poem from a writer based in Shelley's home county.
see Competition 2024 — Shelley Memorial Project
15th September 2024 1st publication

entry free
The Science Museum will be bringing together science and poetry to celebrate National Poetry Day for the fourth year in a row.  Poets are invited to submit a poem based on objects in the Science Museum collection. Entrants of all writing levels and experiences are welcome to submit.
All successful poems will be posted on the museum's social media platforms on National Poetry Day.
See - https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/join-us-in-celebrating-national-poetry-day/
23rd September 2024 1st £2000

entry £6
The Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2024
Poems may be submitted from any country, may be on any theme, & must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must show title & poem only, must not show poet’s name, must be the original work of the entrant (no translations) & must not have been previously published; no text alterations accepted after submission; no limit on number of poems or number of subsequent submissions.
There are three prizes of £500 (3rd), £1,000 (2nd), and £2,000 (1st), plus 20 commended poets. Winners and commended poets will read with judges at the online international prize-giving night on Monday, the 9th of December.
Judges: Jane Yeh and Glyn Maxwell
See - http://www.coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes
30th September 2024 1st $2000


entry $25
2024 One Page Poetry Contest. Judges: Ann Tinkham, Mark Graham, Mridvi Khetan.
We are now in our third year. Our cash prizes include $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third. Our winners are featured on our website, and the top 100 poems are featured in our yearly anthology; our 2023 Anthology reached #1 on Amazon’s poetry anthology list, so it is very good exposure for our poets.
Our entry fee is $25.00. All proceeds from entry fees and the sale of our anthology go to the two charities that we support, the World Wildlife Fund and Oceania. If you have a moment, please visit our website at www.OnePagePoetry.com 
31st October 2024 1st  £1500

entry £8.50

Poetry Competition - up to 40 lines     Short Story Competition - up to 3000 words

TBC is a non-profit group, with donations made to literary causes   

Short Story judge: Liv Maidment. Poetry Judge: Jessica Mookherjee

Prizes: £1500, £300 and £200

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 17 years. There are special prizes, sponsored by the University of Bedfordshire, for writers aged 17-25 yrs. In addition, there are prizes for local Bedford residents.  

Entry fees: £8.50 or 3 for £17. Students, £6 or 3 for £12.
Details: www.bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk
31st October 2024 1st E1000

entry E18
The Anthology Poetry Competition
Poets are welcome to submit original and previously unpublished poems written in English. There is no restriction on theme or style, and poems should not exceed 40 lines.
There are three prizes of €150 (3rd), €250 (2nd), and €1,000 plus publication of the entrant's work in a future issue of Anthology.
see - https://anthology-magazine.com/awards/poetry-competition/ 
3rd November 2024 1st £250

entry 3

Edward Thomas Fellowship Poetry Competition 2025, the Edward Cawston Thomas prize.

Poems, unpublished,  are invited on any subject but of no more than forty lines. Closing date 3rd November 2024. The judge will be the prize-winning poet Jane Draycott.

Prizes:1st prize  £250, two further £ 100 prizes. Up to six poems highly commended. Winners welcome to read at AGM on 2nd March at Steep, Hampshire.

Fees £3 per poem with a maximum of three.

Email entries: Word document, single attachment per anonymised poem ( & please mention payment method.)

See  www.edward-thomas-fellowship.org where you can also see details of winning poems of past years including anthologies with judges’ comments to buy.