Poets from the 205 Olympic nations are to take part in the UK's biggest poetry festival next year. Led by the Southbank Centre's artist in residence, Simon Armitage, and artistic director Jude Kelly, Poetry Parnassus, part of next year's Cultural Olympiad, will see one poet from each of the 205 Olympic nations taking part in readings, workshops and a gala event, touring the UK and contributing a poem in their own language for a poetry collection, The World Record, which will champion poetry in translation. Members of the public around the world are being asked to nominate up to three poets from any of the 205 Olympic competing nations, with a panel featuring Armitage and other poetry experts shortlisting the recommendations to come up with a final line-up of one poet per country, to be announced in spring 2012. The closing date for nominatons is 22 July 2011. Why Poetry Parnassus? It "draws inspiration from Mount Parnassus in Greece – one of poetry's spiritual and mythical heartlands, the home of the lyricist Orpheus and the dwelling place of the poetic Muses”, said Armitage.

The huge event will take place from 26 June to 2 July 2012. Organisers admit that some poets may have problems obtaining visas and permission to travel. But they will be offering airfare and accommodation, and "we will do our best to ensure that every poet is able to attend", they said. Kelly said: "We go back to the roots of Poetry International, the festival that Ted Hughes and Patrick Garland launched at the Royal Festival Hall in 1967, to address notions of free speech, community and peace through poetry."