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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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2025 Poetry Competition - Shepton Snowdrops

12th May 2025 1st £110



entry £3.50
THE POETRY KIT EASTER COMPETITION 2025

This year's competition is for poetry on any subject.

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. 

1st prize is valued at £110

Entry fees are as follows;  1 poem    £3.50   3 Poems  £8.00  5 poems  £10

Competition Judge;   Lucy Turnbull, former editor of Optimum Poetry Magazine.

See and enter at Easter Competition

15th April 2025 1st £100



entry £4.00

Federation Of Writers Scotland Vernal Equinox Competition 2025 

Five categories, poetry (any number of poems, no more than 40 lines each), short stories (any number, between 501 and 2000 words each), flash fiction/mini-story (any number, up to 500 words), Scottish Gaelic and Scots (poetry, line limit as above). Prizes in each category: 1st prize £100, 2nd prize £25, 3rd prize £10. Brian Whittingham Memorial Prize £50.

For more details and to enter see  https://www.federationofwriters.scot/competition

20th April 2025

1st £100 voucher

 

Entry free

Carers UK 2025 Poetry Competition

Judge: Cheryl Moskowitz

For this year’s competition, we are welcoming poems on the theme of 'caring, family and community'.

1st prize = £100 voucher

2nd prize = £50 voucher

3rd prize = £30 voucher

Carers UK member prize = £50 voucher/

Competition guidelines can be found at:

https://www.carersuk.org/get-involved/join-us/poetry-competition/

27th April 2025 1st  £100



entry  £5
The Charm Poetry Competition is open for submissions from now until April 2025.
This year they are looking for something new and different, but the parameters are still wide in what type of poem you can submit, explore their website for more information. Open to original work from poets 16 and over, written in English. Prizes: First Prize: £100 Second Prize: £50 Third Prize: £25
See  https://www.charmpoetrycompetition.com/p/charm-poetry-competition-details.html
30th April 2025 1st £100


entry £4


The Ver Poets Open Competition
Entrants are welcome to submit original poems of up to 30 lines on any theme. Poems must be the original work of the competitor. They should not have been published, or accepted for publication, in print or online. They should not have won prizes in other competitions, be simultaneously entered for other competitions or be translations of other poets’ work.
Judge: Rory Waterman
There will be cash prizes of £100 (3rd), £300 (2nd), and £600 (1st).
See  https://verpoets.wixsite.com/verpoets/competitions
30th April 2025 1st £100



entry  £5.95 (2 poems)
Candlestick Press
is looking for five new poems to feature in its festive pamphlet for 2025. Christmas Tree will be published in September and will contain poems about all kinds of Christmas trees and what they mean to us – everything from the indoor conifers we decorate with lights and tinsel to trees in the wild, laden with mistletoe or snow, or full of berries for the birds. Any tree is valid, as long as it suits the Christmas/winter theme. Be inspired by winter walks, special family times, choosing a tree, recycling it or even planting one.   In addition to publication, each winner will receive £100 and 10 copies of Christmas Tree.  Judges: Di Slaney and Kathy Towers
Poems should be no longer than 37 lines, including title and stanza breaks. It must also be new, unpublished, and not currently submitted elsewhere. Submissions must be written in English.
See  Competitions – Candlestick Press – 'Instead of a card' poetry pamphlets
30th April 2025 1st  £800


entry
The 27th Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition
Poems submitted must be written in the English language, the poet’s original work, and be no longer than 50 lines. Any number of poems can be submitted.
There are cash prizes of £800  £400 , and £200 . There is also a prize for the best sonnet submitted, which will be awarded a cash prize of £200.
The four prize-winning poems will be published online, with the first prize poem to be entered for the Forward Prize. All winning and commended poems will be published in the 2025 Anthology. A complimentary copy of the Anthology is given to each poet published. Further copies available to order from mid-July 2025.
Judge: Hannah Copley.
All prize-winning and commended poets will be invited to read their poem at an informal prize-giving event in Ware, Hertfordshire.
See 
1st May 2025 1st £350



entry £5
The Kipling Society’s John McGivering Literary Competition
Judges: Janet Montefiore, Mary Hamer, Sarah LeFanu
Entrants are welcome to submit poems of up to 30 lines on any aspect of the sea, which should be connected, whether directly or obliquely, with the writings and/or life of Kipling.
There are cash prizes of £350, £100, and £50. There is a separate competition for poets aged up to 17, with cash prizes of £75 (1st) and £25
See The Kipling Society – Promoting the works of Rudyard Kipling
1st May 2025 1st £500


Free
The Edinburgh Sacred Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the Scottish Poetry Library and the Christian Arts Trust, Competition on Religious Verse.
Submissions of up to three poems are invited from poets aged 30 and under. They must be a resident, working, or studying in Scotland to be able to submit. Poems must be previously unpublished, must not exceed a maximum of 40 lines, and be on one of the following themes – a biblical quotation, character or event; a notable figure from Christian history; a response to a religious image.
There will be three monetary prizes of £500 (1st), £300 (2nd), and £200 (3rd). In addition, the judges may at their discretion award a high quality submission a ‘Highly Commended’ title. There will be an event in the 2025 Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts to celebrate the winning poems.
See https://www.edinburghsacredartsfestival.org/poetry-competition.html
12th May 2025 1st £110



entry £3.50
THE POETRY KIT EASTER COMPETITION 2025

This year's competition is for poetry on any subject.

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. 

1st prize is valued at £110

Entry fees are as follows;  1 poem    £3.50   3 Poems  £8.00  5 poems  £10

Competition Judge;   Lucy Turnbull, former editor of Optimum Poetry Magazine.

See and enter at Easter Competition

30th May 2025 1t £300



entry

Slipstream Poets Open Poetry Competition:

Deadline: May 30th

First Prize: £300

Summary: Adjudicator: Barry Smith.

Prizes: £300; £150; £75

Prize for best West Sussex entry: £50

Winners will be notified by June 30th. Results and winning poems will be published on the Slipstream Poets website.

Further details: www.slipstream-poets.co.uk

30th May 2025 1st £250


entry £4
Wirral Poetry Festival Open Poetry Competition 2025
The competition is open to poetry written in English, unpublished and of no more than 40 lines long. There is no specified theme, and where relevant poets aged over 18 who live, work or study in Wirral will be forwarded to the Wirral Prize.
Open Poetry Competition Prize: 1st prize £250 Four runners-up £25 each The Wirral Prize: Wirral First prize £100
Two runners-up £25 each
Judges: Helen Ivory and Martin Figura for the Open Poetry Competition and Pauline Rowe for the Wirral Prize.
See Open Poetry Competition 2025 - Wirral Poetry Festival
31st May 2025 1st  250 Guinees



entry  £4
The Frogmore Poetry Prize (founded in 1987) is now open for entries of poems no longer than forty lines, on any subject.
Winners will receive two hundred and fifty guineas and a two year subscription to the Frogmore Papers. The first and second runners-up will receive seventy-five and fifty guineas respectively and a year’s subscription to the Frogmore Papers. Shortlisted poets will receive copies of selected Frogmore Press publications.
Frogmore Poetry Prize – The Frogmore Press
31st May 2025 1st £1000


entry  £11
Plaza Poetry Prize (40 lines)
Judge George Szirtes
Closing date: 31 May 2025
Open for original poems on any theme (not translations), written in English and of no more than 40 lines. There is no limit on number of submissions. Applicants on low incomes or who feel that they are from under-represented groups may apply to Plaza’s bursary scheme (see link for details).
Prizes First: £1,000 Second: £300 Third: £100
Top 10 shortlisted poems will be published in ‘The Plaza Prizes Anthology 3’. Winners will be invited to read at the awards ceremony in October 2025.
See  The Plaza Poetry Prize (40 lines) - The Plaza Prizes
14th June 2025 1st £100

entry £3
Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition 2025
Judges: Ben Batten, Jon Bickley, Karen Luke, Leeanne Parke
Entrants are welcome to send up to five poems written in the English language, each should be a maximum of 40 lines.
There are separate categories for Under 11, 11-18, Adult Resident of HP5, and Adult Rest of the World. There will be cash prizes of £100 for each of the winners in the adult categories and £50 for each of the winners in the Under 11 and 11-18 categories.
See  Chesham Literary Festival | Chesham | Facebook
29th June 2025 1st £100


entry £6
International Welsh Poetry Competition
Each poem must be no more than 50 lines in length (not including title or line breaks).
Judge: Mike Jenkins
There are three cash prizes of £100 (3rd), £250 (2nd), and £500 (1st). The prizewinners, plus 17 runners-up and specially commended, will be featured in a future anthology.
See Home - Poetry Competition - Welsh Poetry Competition