NEWSLETTER CONTENTS

1 - Editors Notes

2 - Competitions closing soon

3 - Poetry Courses

Submitting information to The Poetry Kit

To enable the contents and usefulness of the Poetry Kit Newsletter to grow we put it out as an attachment.  It will still arrive every month in an email but the bulk of the newsletter itself will be in the attachment.  To submit information for inclusion in any area of The Poetry Kit including the Newsletter please see submission details at

http://www.poetrykit.org/infoform.htm

COMPETITIONS CLOSING SOON - OTHER COMPETITIONS CAN BE FOUND AT

http://www.poetrykit.org/comps.htm 

20th April 2026	1st £110 entry 3.50	POETRY KIT EASTER COMPETITION 2026 Enter by midnight on 15th April 2024 1st prize  £110. Entry fees are as follows; 1 poem £3.50 3 Poems £8.00 5 poems £10 Competition Judge; Lucy Turnbull.  FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ENTER ONLINE SEE   https://poetrykit.org/1-East.htm
8th March 2026	1st  ABA entry £5	Words for Ada is a poetry competition looking for submissions on the theme of change, protest, and freedom in honour of the Crewe-based suffragist Aa Nield Chew. Entrants may submit previously unpublished poems of no more than 20 lines each. There will be a separate category for under and over 18 years of age. The competition is free for those under 18 years old. Judge: Kate Blakemore, Hazel Reeves and Jules Gibb see Writing Competition - A Statue For Ada
11th March 2026	1st  £500 entry £10	Mairtín Crawford Poetry Award 2026 Judging the 10th Mairtín Crawford Poetry Award will be: Kathleen McCracken and Dawn Watson. With support from Milena Williamson. Winners and placed writers will be announced on Thursday 4 June 2026 at a special event as part of the Belfast Book Festival. Winners will be invited to read their winning poems at the Festival event.  Winning poems will be published on the Festival website.  The Winner of each Award will receive a £500 cash Prize. In addition, each Winner can take up time a ‘Time to Write’ package which includes a 3-night stay at a Hotel in Belfast, and 4 days of dedicated writing space in The Crescent. Two Runners Up for each Category will receive a £250 cash prize. For further details, rules & entry form visit https://belfastbookfestival.com/mairtin-crawford-award
15th March 2025	1st Publication entry  free	The Inspiring Voices Poetry Festival invites young poets aged 11-25 to submit poems exploring England’s heritage sites, and how they can be used to create an original piece of writing, as part of the online part of the festival. Entrants may only submit one piece of writing. Written poems must have a maximum of 40 lines. Spoken/performed and multimedia poems must have a time limit of 3 minutes. Experimental and hybrid poems must be accompanied with a clear description of intent and required playback conditions e.g., interactive elements or digital platforms needed. Winners in the 11-14 Category, 15-17 Category and 18-25 Category will receive: Invitation to attend and perform their piece at the Schwarzman centre in Oxford in June 2026. Travel and accommodation costs covered for winner and one other (must be an adult if entrant is under 18). English Heritage Membership for 1 year Collection of Literary works Branded poetry anthology containing their creative response Mentoring from an industry expert Certificate Other prizes that are to be determined Runners-up across all categories will receive a certificate and selection of prizes. Those marked as Highly Commended will receive a certificate. See  Inspiring Voices | English Heritage
27th March 2026	1st £100 entry £3	The Red Shed Poetry Competition Closing date: Fri 27 Mar 2026   Sole adjudicator: Anne Caldwell Prizes: 1st— £100 2nd—£50   short listed poems – £20   Wakefield Postcode prize—£25 Entry fee: £3 for the first poem | £2 for subsequent poems See the Red Shed Poetry Comp 2026 - Currock Press
31st March 2026	1st £250 entry £5	South Downs Poetry Festival – The Binsted Prize Adjudicator: Joanna Linley.  Entry: e-mail only Prize-giving will be on Saturday 23rd May in Chichester.   First Prize £250 Second £150, Third £50. Winners and highly commended published in the Binsted Prize Anthology.  For further details, rules & entry form visit   South Downs Poetry Festival Competition
31st March 2026	1st Publication entry £10	Dithering Chaps is now open for submissions for their poetry chapbook competition. Entrants are invited to submit a ten-page sample of poems alongside a 200-word treatment explaining the vision behind their collection manuscript (roughly 30-60 pages in total). The shortlist will be announced by mid-April 2026, and the winning poet will be chosen by the end of that month. Poets who have not had a previous poetry collection published will also automatically be considered for a separate publication slot. see  Submissions Window — Dithering Chaps
31st March 2026	1st E1000 entry E16	The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2026 is now open for unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7-11. Entrants from anywhere in the world are welcome to submit. Judge: Robert Schechter The first prize winner will receive a cash prize of €1,000 plus a week at The Moth Retreat in Ireland. The second and third prize will receive cash prizes of €500 and €250, respectively. The winning poems will also be published in the Irish Times online. See  https://www.themothmagazine.com/a1-page.asp?ID=9454&page=60
31st March 2026	1st £250 entry £5	The Binsted Prize : South Downs Poetry Festival Closing date: Tue 31 Mar 2026 The South Downs Poetry Festival, an ongoing programme of events taking place in Sussex, is now open for submissions for The Binsted Prize. Poems must be previously unpublished and not exceed 40 lines. Simultaneous submissions are accepted subject to withdrawal if another prize is awarded before the winners in this competition are notified. Entries from any country are welcome. Judge: Joanna Lilley Prizes will be: Overall winner: Binsted Prize and £250 2nd £150 and 3rd £50 Publication in the Binsted Prize Anthology for winning and highly commended poems There will be a reading event and prizegiving in Chichester on 23rd May. See » 2026 Poetry Competition
1st April 2026	1st £1000 entry £7	Nature and Place Poetry competition 2026. The RSPB and The Rialto are additionally working with BirdLife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. r entries close at midnight on 1st April 2026.  As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition supports conservation and poetry. We are working in partnership with leading independent UK poetry magazine, The Rialto, as we feel the magazine will be the perfect place to showcase the winning entries. Prizes  1st PRIZE £1000  2nd PRIZE £500  3rd PRIZE £250 Our judge is celebrated poet, Mona Arshi. The entry fee is £7 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem. Full details and the facility to enter online can be found on The Rialto website:   https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition/
4th April 2026	1st £200 entry £5	The Artemesia Arts international poetry competition 2026 Entrants from anywhere in the world are welcome, writing on any subject or theme, in any style or form. Maximum line length 40 lines. First prize £200 Two runners-up receive £80 A number of highly commended poems will also be selected. Judge: Malika Booker FRSL Fifty poems will be shortlisted and named on their website. The winners, highly commended and a further 25 poems will be chosen for inclusion in an anthology to be published by Mosaïque Press. All winners and commended poets will be invited to read at a selected poetry weekend retreat in South West France. They are looking for poems that please the eye, delight the ear and make heart beat faster. see Poetry Competition 2026 – Artemesia Arts

 

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3 - COURSES

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For a more complete listing of courses and availability please see

ALL COURSES