'Hunchback in the Park' competition reaches out to trauma victims
A competition inviting responses to the Dylan Thomas poem, ‘The Hunchback in the Park’, has been launched, with the closing date 27 April, and the best submissions to be published in an anthology later in 2014, the year that marks the centenary of the poet’s birth. The submissions can be poems, prose-poems, or in diary or letter form. The 'Hunchback' poem was partly inspired by Thomas's local Cwmd...
5th December 2013
South Bank Poetry extends £200 competition deadline
The deadline for South Bank poetry magazine’s £200 competition has been extended for a few days, until 4 December. Judge Clare Pollard is looking for original, unpublished poems of up to 55 lines with a London focus. Any explicit London connection, past, present or future, is acceptable. You can fin...
2nd December 2013
Poems about yoga? Entries sought for the Yogic Path poetry prize
The closing date is 28 February for the Yogic Path poetry prize, for poems on yoga. The prize is three signed books by organiser Mira Mehta, and publication in Yoga and Health magazine and on the Yogi...
1st December 2013
Deadline nears for £1,000 Cafe Writers competition
The 30 November deadline is close for the Norfolk-based £1,000 Café Writers competition, to be judged by Deryn Rees-Jones. Entries will be accepted by post or by email. More details
25th November 2013
Andrew Motion to judge £1,000 Plough poetry prize
The deadline is 30 November for the £1,000 Plough poetry prize, staged by the Plough arts centre, in Great Torrington, Devon. The judge is Andrew Motion. More details
20th November 2013
Carol Ann Duffy to judge book and pamphlet competition
The deadline is 29 November for the Poetry Business book and pamphlet competition, to be judged this year by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Entrants are invited to submit a collection of 20-24...
20th November 2013
Philip Gross to judge £1,000 Magma poetry competition
Philip Gross will be judging this year’s £1,000 Magma magazine poetry competition, for a poem of 13 to 80 lines. The deadline is 12 December. Poems of up to 12 lines are eligible for the £1,000 Mag...
20th November 2013
Deadline nears for iShot short poetry pamphlets competition
The closing date is 18 November for submissions to Templar Poetry’s iShot short poetry pamphlets award. Poets are invited to submit 12-16 pages of poetry, with a maximum of 40 lines per page, exclu...
13th November 2013
Deadline approaching to enter National Poetry Competition
The 31 October deadline is fast approaching to enter the £5,000 National Poetry Competition. The top three winning poems will be published in Poetry Review, and the winner is also invited to read a...
28th October 2013
Name that tune, and say where it takes you
A £100 competition linking poems to a piece of music has been launched by Bishops Castle arts festival in Shropshire. Poems need to be accompanied by details of the chosen music. The competition de...
24th October 2013
Roll up for Wirral Ode Show poetry contest
The Wirral Ode Show poetry competition, first prize £120, will take place on 3 October - National Poetry Day – at Gallaghers Pub & Barbers, Chester Street, Birkenhead, Wirral at 8pm. Entry is £3 an...
20th September 2013
Deryn Rees-Jones and George Szirtes to judge £2,500 Troubadour prize
Deryn Rees-Jones and George Szirtes are the judges of Coffee-House Poetry’s £2,500 Troubadour international poetry prize. Both judges will read all the poems. The deadline is 21 October. More deta...
19th September 2013
Chance to have collection published in Geoff Stevens memorial competition
The deadline is 31 October for submissions for the Geoff Stevens memorial prize, with two winners having their poetry collections published by Indigo Dreams. Ten poems should be submitted, each wit...
19th September 2013
October deadline for poetry competition on migration
The deadline is 11 October for a £700 poetry competition run by the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (Compas) at Oxford University. The competition theme is people on the move, with Ruth Pad...
19th September 2013
Ruth Padel to judge £1,000 Rialto/RSPB nature poetry prize
Ruth Padel will be judging The Rialto/RSPB £1,000 nature poetry competition, which has a 30 September deadline. The prizes include a personal tour with wildlife writer Mark Cocker around his most c...
19th September 2013
Black Country museum launches industrial landscape competition
Radio Wildfire presenter Dave Reeves, current poet-in-residence at the Black Country Living Museum, has joined with the museum to launch its second annual prize poetry competition with the theme of...
18th September 2013
Mark this: Winston Plowes judging US magazine's found poetry contest
If you look through most people’s bookshelves you might find the occasional book with the corner of a page folded over in a little triangle or dog-ear of text to mark the place. Winston Plowes will...
18th September 2013
Turning shortlisted poem into performance: £1,000 Live Canon prize
The deadline is 21 September for the £1,000 Live Canon international poetry competition. Twenty shortlisted poems will be published in an anthology, and performed by the Live Canon ensemble, a grou...
15th September 2013
Pascale Petit to judge £1,000 Kent and Sussex poetry competition
Pascale Petit will be judging and reading all the entries in the £1,000 Kent and Sussex Poetry Society open competition. The deadline is 31 January 2014. The poetry society is based in Tunbridge We...
9th September 2013
Deadline nears for £1,000 Basil Bunting award
The deadline for the £1,000 Basil Bunting award competition, in memory of the celebrated poet from the north-east, is 30 September. The judge will be Sir Andrew Motion, who give a reading at the aw...
8th September 2013
Tongues and Grooves marks 10th anniversary with festival and competition
Tongues and Grooves, a livewire poetry and music organisation based in the Portsmouth area, celebrates its 10th anniversary on Saturday 9 November with a festival that will include Queen’s Gold Med...
4th September 2013
Simon Armitage to judge Nantwich Words and Music competition
Simon Armitage will be judging the winner from a shortlist drawn up by a committee from Nantwich Words and Music festival poetry competition. The first prize is £100, and the deadline is 16 Septemb...
2nd September 2013
Deadline nears for £10,000 Manchester poetry prize
The 30 August deadline is fast approaching for the £10,000 Manchester poetry prize, to be judged by Fiona Sampson, Bernard O'Donoghue, and Adam Riordan. Entrants are asked to submit a portfolio of ...
28th August 2013
August 31 deadline for Ryedale book festival competition
The deadline is 31 August for entries to Ryedale book festival’s poetry competition, which is open to writers resident in Yorkshire, Humber and Teesside. The judge will Andy Humphrey, compere of Y...
28th August 2013
Wendy Klein to judge £400 Havant competition
Wendy Klein will be judging the £400 Havant poetry competition, which has the theme of “renewal”. The deadline is 30 August. More details
17th August 2013
Deadline nears for Paragram 'slant of light' competition
The deadline is 31 August for the Paragram poetry competition, with the theme a phrase from an Emily Dickinson poem, “a certain slant of light”. Poems should interpret the theme without quoting it ...
17th August 2013
David Morley to judge £600 Buzzwords competition
David Morley will be judging the £600 Buzzwords poetry competition, which has a deadline of 17 August. Buzzwords is a Cheltenham-based poetry reading, workshop and open mic group. More details
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3rd August 2013
Carol Ann Duffy to judge Poetry Business book and pamphlet competition
Carol Ann Duffy is to judge this year’s Poetry Business book and pamphlet competition, which offers a £500 cash prize to four winners and the chance of publication by Smith|Doorstop Books. Four fi...
22nd July 2013
Gillian Clarke to judge Ilkley poetry competition
The deadline is 1 August in the £200 poetry competition for Ilkley literature festival, to be judged by Gillian Clarke. Winners and commended writers will be invited to read at the festival in Octo...
22nd July 2013
Deadline nears for £500 Wells literature festival competition
The deadline is the end of July for the £500 Wells festival of literature poetry competition, which will be judged by Sean Borodale, who was shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize earlier this year. Th...
18th July 2013
Deadline approaches for £500 Essex poetry festival competition
The deadline is 31 July for Essex poetry festival’s competition, to be judged by Matthew Caley. The first prize is £500. Prizes will be handed out on 6 October at Essex poetry festival, with winner...
11th July 2013
Janet Rogerson to judge Bank Street Writers competition
Janet Rogerson will be judging Bank Street Writers’ international poetry competition with both adult and under-18 sections, with six prizes of up to £75, and a deadline of 31 October for poems...
9th July 2013
Competition in memory of Charles Causley has £3,000 prize
Entries are being invited for the £3,000 Charles Causley poetry competition, to be judged by Andrew Motion. The Charles Causley Trust exists to promote the work of the late poet, and to fund the de...
7th July 2013
Deadline nears for £250 Poetry Space competition
The 30 June deadline is nearing fast for the £250 Poetry Space competition, to be judged by Martyn Crucefix. Send poems of up to 40 lines by email with accompanying cover sheet to include name, add...
25th June 2013
Deadline nears for Living With Dementia poetry competition
The deadline for entering Living With Dementia magazine’s poetry competition is 30 June. Entries are limited to one per person, and Ian McMillan will be judging. More details
13th June 2013
Nicola Slee to judge Manchester Cathedral's poetry competition
The deadline is 28 June to enter Manchester Cathedral’s £450 poetry competition. The judge is poet and theologian Nicola Slee, pictured. The competition guidelines say: “Poems submitted should be b...
13th June 2013
Sean Borodale to judge Wells literature festival competition
Sean Borodale will be judging the Wells festival of literature poetry competition, which has a deadline of 31 July. The prizegiving will take place on Sunday 13 October during the festival. More de...
11th June 2013
Manchester's Poets and Players launch first competition
Manchester’s Poets and Players has launched its first poetry competition, with the judge Jacob Polley, a first prize of £400, and the deadline Friday 5 April. Poets and Players, one of Manchester’s...
9th June 2013
Deadline nears for £2,000 Myslexia women's competition
It's less than a month until the 17 June deadline for this year's Myslexia women's poetry competition, to be judged by Costa award-winning poet Kathleen Jamie. The competiton has a £2,000 first pri...
26th May 2013
August deadline for £200 Ilkley festival competition
The £200 poetry competition for Ilkley literature festival is open for entries, with the deadline 1 August, and winners and commended writers invited to read at the festival in October. More detail...
26th May 2013
Deadline nears for £5,000 Bridport prize
The 31 May deadline is nearing for those still intending to submit poems for the £5,000 Bridport prize, judged this year by Wendy Cope. More details. Meanwhile the equally valuable £5,000 National ...
22nd May 2013
July deadline for Poetry Wales pamphlet prize
The Poetry Wales Purple Moose prize for 20-24 original poems is open for entries. The winner will have their pamphlet published by Seren, and receive a £250 prize, 25 complimentary copies of the pa...
22nd May 2013
Helen Ivory to judge Ludlow fringe festival competition
Helen Ivory is to judge the Ludlow Fringe festival poetry competition. The theme is The Longest Day, and the deadline is 31 May. First prize is £100 and publication on Ivory’s Ink, Sweat and Tears ...
17th May 2013
Ariadne's Thread launches competition to mark first year
Ariadne’s Thread magazine is launching a £300 competition to mark its first year of existence. The deadline is 31 October. Submissions will be read and judged by Armando Halpern, editor of Ariadne'...
16th May 2013
Faber on the lookout for more new poets
Faber and Faber in partnership with Arts Council England is accepting submissions for its 2013–14 Faber New Poets scheme. It is open to those who have yet to publish a first collection or pamphlet,...
13th May 2013
Martyn Crucefix to judge £1,000 Torbay competition
Martyn Crucefix will be judging the £1,000 Torbay open poetry competition, with the winners announced at the Torbay festival of poetry on Saturday 26 October. The competition deadline is 31 August....
6th May 2013
Deadline nears for erbacce publication prize
The deadline of 31 May is approaching for the erbacce prize, with the winner receiving a publishing contract, and 10 free copies of their published collection. At the discretion of the judges up to...
3rd May 2013
Matthew Caley to judge £500 Essex poetry competition
Matthew Caley is the sole adjudicator for Essex poetry festival’s competition. First prize is £500, and the deadline is 31 July. Prizes will be handed out on 6 October at Essex poetry festival, and...
27th April 2013
Clare Pollard to judge South Bank Poetry competition
Clare Pollard will be judging the £200 South Bank Poetry magazine competition, for original, unpublished poems of up to 55 lines with a London focus. The entry fee is £3 per poem, and the deadline ...
27th April 2013
You judge: deadline nears for £2,000 Poetic Republic prize
The deadline is approaching for a poetry competition with a difference – where the entrants themselves are the judges of each other’s work. The Poetic Republic competition comes with a £2,000 singl...
27th April 2013
Deadline nears for £1,000 Larkin and East Riding poetry prize
The 15 April deadline is looming for the £1,000 Larkin and East Riding poetry prize, which wil be judged by Jackie Kay. Prizes will be presented to the wining poets at the Bridlington poetry festiv...
11th April 2013
Poetry London magazine launches £1,000 competition
Poetry London magazine has launched its 2013 poetry competition, with a deadline of 1 May, and a £1,000 first prize. The first three winners will be published in the magazine. Former Poetry London ...
28th March 2013
Aesthetica offers £500 creative writing prizes
Aesthetica art and culture magazine has launched its 2013 creative writing competition, offering £500 prizes to poetry and short fiction winners, plus publication in Aesthetica’s creative writing a...
26th March 2013
Nick Drake to judge Ver Poets £600 prize
Nick Drake is the judge for Ver Poets open competition, with a £600 first prize, and a closing date of 30 April. Winning and selected poems will be published in a competition anthology. More detail...
22nd March 2013
Trick of the light could win Paragram poetry contest
A phrase from an Emily Dickinson poem “a certain slant of light”, is the theme for the Paragram poetry competition, deadline 31 August. Poems should interpret the theme without quoting it directly....
20th March 2013
Foyle 2013 awards offer big chance to young poets
One of the biggest poetry competitions of its kind in the world is open again to young poets. Hannah Lowe and David Morley will be judging this year’s Foyle Young Poets awards, for those aged 11-17...
17th March 2013
Esther Morgan to judge £1,000 Ledbury prize
Esther Morgan will be the judge of the £1,000 Ledbury poetry competition, which also offers a week's writing course to the winner. There are categories for adults, young people, and children, and t...
17th March 2013
Wendy Cope to judge £5,000 Bridport prize
Wendy Cope is this year’s judge for the £5,000 Bridport prize, one of the poetry world’s most prestigious awards. The closing date is 31 May, and the entry fee is £7 per poem. More details
15th March 2013
Battered Moons contest offers £300 prize
Swindon’s Battered Moons poetry competition has been launched, with a deadline of 31 May, and a first prize of £300. Main judge will be Alice Oswald, pictured, and Christina Newton will read all th...
2nd March 2013
Contest to aid children's heart charity offers £1,000 prize
A poetry contest set up by the children’s charity Cry (Cardiac Risk in the Young) is offering a £1,000 first prize, with a separate £250 prize for under-18 entrants. The judges are Moniza Alvi and ...
2nd March 2013
Peter and Ann Sansom to judge McLellan poetry prize
Peter and Ann Sansom will be judging this year’s McLellan poetry prize, which is awarded in memory of Robert McLellan, the poet, playwright and short story writer who spent his working life in High...
2nd March 2013
Deadline nears for York literature festival contest
The February 28 deadline is approaching for York literature festival's first poetry competition, to be judged by York’s poet in residence Carole Bromley. More details. There are York literature f...
20th February 2013
Colin Watts to judge Wirral Festival of Firsts competition
The closing date is 1 June for Wirral Festival of Firsts poetry competition, with a first prize of £200. The judge will be Colin Watts, chair of Liverpool’s Dead Good Poets Society. More details
20th February 2013
£1,000 first collection prize for poets aged 35 and under
Poets aged 35 and under are invited to enter for the £1,000 Meilita Hume poetry prize and win a publishing deal with Eyewear Publishing for the best first full collection. The submission must be at...
20th February 2013
£1,000 first collection prize for poets aged 35 and under
Poets aged 35 and under are invited to enter for the £1,000 Meilita Hume poetry prize and win a publishing deal with Eyewear for the best first full collection. The submission must be at least 40 p...
15th February 2013
Robin Robertson to judge £2,000 Wigtown poetry prize
Robin Robertson will be judging the £2,000 Wigtown poetry prize, Scotland’s international poetry prize, which is open to all. The deadline for the competition, run in association with the Scottish ...
13th February 2013
Deadline nears for Wenlock poetry competition
Former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion is to judge this year’s Wenlock poetry competition. First prize is £500, the deadline is 6 February, and winners will be invited to read at an awards ceremony...
1st February 2013
Anne Stevenson to judge poetry contest in aid of homeless
Anne Stevenson will be judging this year’s Lumen/Camden poetry competition, in aid of London cold weather homeless shelters. The deadline is 14 February and the winner receives 50 free copies of a ...
30th January 2013
Deadline nears for £5,000 Hippocrates prize
The deadline is 31 January for entries for the £5,000 Hippocrates prize for poetry and medicine. The judging panel members are Jo Shapcott, winner of the 2011 Queen's gold medal for poetry, Theodor...
24th January 2013
Cat's out of the bag - new Write Out Loud competition to enter
We’re well into January now, and it’s time to get writing! Dave Bradley has organised another of Write Out Loud’s ever-popular poetry competitions – this time the theme is Cat Out of the Bag, or Ca...
14th January 2013
DA Prince to judge Prole laureate competition
DA Prince will be judging this year’s Prole Laureate competition, run by Prole poetry and prose magazine, which says all forms of poetry are welcome. The deadline is 14 February 2013. More details
...1st January 2013
