Manchester Cathedral are inviting entries for their 12^th International and Religious Poetry Competition.

The competition is open to everyone, of whatever faith tradition, and also to those seeking to discover their own sense of the sacred; they can be in any form or style and will be judged solely on their merits as poetry.

This year’s judge is Vona Groarke, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and a lecturer at the University of Manchester; she is also the author of several poetry collections including ‘Shale’ and ‘Other People’s Houses’.

The prize-winning poems will be read and prizes presented at a special event in the cathedral, as part of the Manchester Literature Festival, on 21^st October, 2010. The first prize is £400 and the winner will be designated The Manchester Cathedral Poet of the Year, there are two further prizes of £200 and £100 respectively.

There is an entry fee of £4 for the first, and £2.50 for each subsequent poem. Submitted poems should be no more than 40 lines each, and each should be broadly religious or spiritual in nature; the organisers say that good religious poetry should appeal to those who would not necessarily describe themselves as such. Poems submitted must not have appeared on a website, been published or broadcast, nor be awaiting the decision of any publisher or competition. The Cathedral Chapter will assume the right to use prize-winning poetry in connection with services, events, displays and publications arranged by the Cathedral, though copyright remains with the author. Any profits from the competition will go towards the work of the Cathedral’s Booth Drop-In Centre for the Homeless.

The closing date for entries is 30^th June, 2010, and you can download a copy of the entry form from the Cathedral’s website at:

www.manchestercathedral.org/news/470-12th-international-a-religious-poetry-competition-2010

and entries should be posted to: The Religious Poetry Competition, Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX