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How to Enter Them - Beware of scams.
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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.
* TO GET COMPETITION INFORMATION MONTHLT BY EMAIL |
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| 22nd August 2026 |
1st £300 entry £6 |
Clevedon Litfest Now open for submissions for their 4th annual Poetry Award. Poems may be on any theme of subject, up to 40 lines. There is a cash prize of £300 (1st), £100 (2nd), and £50 (3rd). Judges: Isabel White and Paul Truan see poetry writing competition 2026 |
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| 31st August 2026 |
1st £500 entry £4 |
Enfield Poets’ Poetry Competition 2026. Judge: Hannah Copley Prizes: £500 (1st), £250 (2nd), £125 (3rd) Poems can be on any subject and must have a title. Maximum 50 lines in length. Prizes will be awarded at the Enfield Poets’ Literary Festival, to be held on 26 & 27 September 2026 at Forty Hall, Enfield, headlined by Patience Agbabi. See Poetry Competition 2026 – ENFIELD POETS |
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| 6th September 2026 |
1st £300 entry £4 |
Cheltenham Poetry Festival Single Poem Competition The Cheltenham Poetry Festival Single Poem Competition is now open for submissions.Judge: Rosie Garland Entrants are welcome to submit previously unpublished poems of no more than 50 lines on any subject. The first prize winner will receive a cash prize of £300 plus the opportunity to appear at the Cheltenham Poetry Festival. See Cheltenham Poetry Festival event tickets from TicketSource. |
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| 28th September 2026 |
1st 110 entry £3.50 |
THE POETRY KIT EKPHRASTIC POETRY COMPETITION 2026 Our competition is for poems based on
an artwork (this can be broadly interpreted). There are no style
or length restrictions, but it should be stressed that a short
poem is just as likely to be selected as a longer one. Competition Judge; Lisa Turnbull 1st prize is £110 2nd prize is £30 all entries must be received before midnight Monday 28th September 2026 Entries received after this time will
be discarded. All entries are judged anonymously so please do
not put any identifying features on the poems. Entry fees are as follows. 1
poem £3.50 3 Poems £8.00
5 poems £10 For more details sand to enter
online see |
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st £500 entry £8.50 |
The Bedford Competition Competition open between June 30th -
September 30th 2026 Entry open to those aged 17 and over. Maximum 300 word limit Single prize of £500 for the winner Entry fee £8.50 per entry or three
entries for £17. Reduced rate for students. |
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st £50
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st £200 entry £4 |
Gloucestershire Poetry Society 2026 Open Poetry
Competition Closing date: Wed 30 Sept 2026 Submissions can be on any subject. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title). Judge: Kate Potts The winning poems will receive cash prizes of £200 (Winner), £80 (Runner Up), and £40 (Third Prize), plus publication in the Steel Jackdaw Magazine. GPS Friendship Members are eligible to be entered for the Friendship Prize, which gives the winner a cash prize of £50 plus publication in the Steel Jackdaw Magazine. All longlisted poems will be eligible for a future Competition Anthology. See https://www.thegloucestershirepoetrysociety.co.uk/open-poetry-competition-2026 |
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st Published booklet entry £10 |
Dithering Chaps is now open for submissions for
their chapbook competition. Entrants are invited to submit a ten-page sample of poems, along with a 200-word treatment explaining the vision behind their collection (which should be roughly 30-60 pages in total). The shortlist will be announced by mid-October 2026, and the winning poet will be chosen during the following month. The winner will be published in May 2027 and receive royalties of 25% on all sales income. Poets who have not previously published a full poetry collection will also automatically be considered for the First Collection category. The choice of best poet in this category for the 2026 calendar year will be announced in early January 2027. see Submissions Guidelines Dithering Chaps Press Independent Poetry Publisher — Dithering Chaps |
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st £200 entry £4 |
SaveAs Writers is inviting poets to submit work
on the theme of “Lines of Communication” for a competition
celebrating 150 years since first ever telephone call made by
Alexander Graham Bell. There are cash prizes of £200 (1st), £100 (2nd), and £50 (3rd). Submissions can be 60 lines max and from poets within and outside the UK. Judges: Derek and Mary Anne Smith Sellengory. The choice of best poet in this category for the 2026 calendar year will be announced in early January 2027. See Lines of Communication 2026 | SaveAs Writers Group |
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| 30th September 2026 |
1st E250 entry E16 |
The Moth Nature Writing Prize is now open for
submissions of unpublished poems that explore the natural world. Submissions are welcome from poets aged 16 and over from anywhere in the world. Judge: Sean Borodale The winning poets will receive cash prizes of €250 (3rd), €500 (2nd), and €1,000 plus a week at The Moth Retreat in rural Ireland. The winning pieces will also be published in The Irish Times online. See The Moth | The Moth Nature Writing Prize |
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| 4th October 2026 |
1st £500 entry free |
The Modern Cockney Festival is now open for
poetry entries for an upcoming anthology on two themes: – Modern Cockney identities & Cockney Diaspora – Unity & Comradeship of East End Communities (in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street) Judges: Ovyuki, Aminah Rahman, Mark Ereira-Guyer, Saif Osmani, and Arthur Smith Entrants aged 18 and over are welcome to submit poems of up to 40 lines. A prize of a Monkey (£500) for a poem judged as one that brings either of the themes most alive; two Tons (£100) as commendation prizes. See The New Cockney Poets – Modern Cockney Festival |
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| 19th October 2026 |
1st £400 entry £3 |
The Waltham Forest Poetry Competition is now
open for submissions of the theme of Music. Participants all over the world are welcome to submit up to six poems, 40 lines maximum. Poems may have been published on social media pages prior to submission. Judge: Suzanna Fitzpatrick The competition is divided between Adult and Young Poet categories, plus a separate Waltham Forest local prize for participants who live, work, or study in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Prizes include: Adult: Main prize: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Waltham Forest prize (sponsored by The Stow Brothers): 1st £50, 2nd £30, and 3rd £20. Young Poet: Main Prize: 1st £50, 2nd £30, 3rd £20. Waltham Forest prize (sponsored by The Stow Brothers) for poets living or studying in Waltham Forest: 1st £50, 2nd £30, and 3rd £20. Additionally, poems will be considered for the Funniest Poet prize. The winner will receive a cash prize of £100. See 2026 Waltham Forest Poetry Competition: MUSIC – The Waltham Forest Poetry Competition |
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| 31st October 2026 |
1st E1000 entry E18 |
The Anthology Poetry Competition 2026 Now open for poets all over the world. Poems must be previously unpublished, written in the English language, and should not exceed 40 lines. There is no restriction on theme or style. Judge: Dr Rachael Hegarty The first place winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology. The second prize winner will receive a cash prize of €250. The third prize winner will receive a cash prize of €150. See - Poetry Competition - Anthology |
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| 31st October 2026 |
1st £2000 entry £8.50 |
Bedford Writing Competition is an international Short Story and Poetry Competition that has been running for 12 years, with the 2025 competition attracting over 2800 entries from 61 different countries. The 2026 competition will commence on the 1st May and is open to anyone over the age of 17 years. Shortlisted and winning entries are published in The Bedford Competition Anthology. Winning poems will be submitted to the Forward Prize for Poetry. For full details and rules visit: https://bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk/ | ||||
| 31st October 2026 |
1st £3000 entry £9 |
The National Poetry Competition is now open for
submissions for a single unpublished poem. The competition is open to all writers aged 18+ from anywhere in the world. Prizes include £5,000 (1st), £3,000 (2nd), and £2,000 (3rd). Commended prizes will receive a cash prize of £500. Judges: Niall Campbell, Malika Booker, Luke Kennard See |
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| 25th November 2026 |
1st $12 entry $5 |
Writory Poetry Contest Open to poets worldwide, any language, any theme, no word limit. Closing date: 25 November 2026 Entry: US$5 per poem ($8 for two, $15 for five) Prize: US$12 cash, a participation certificate for every entrant, and a judge's score for every poem Full details and entry: https://writoryofficial.com |
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