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Competitions
"we can not compete
but perhaps we meet somewhere"
from 'Red Rose and a Beggar' by H.D., found in Hermetic Definition (New
Directions,1972)
- This list is compiled monthly from information sent to The Poetry Library by organisers of competitions.
- Each competition has different regulations. In most cases, poems should be in English and not previously published.
- Where regulations and entry forms are available online, a link is provided, but in other cases, competitors should write to each competition, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for an entry form before submitting work. For competitions suitable for children and young people, click here
- The Poetry Library accepts no liability in connection with the information contained in the list.
Now displaying records 1 to 20 of 34
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Christopher Tower Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 11-Feb-10
Details:For poems of up to 48 lines on the theme of 'Promises'. For 16-18 year olds in UK schools or colleges. First prize £3000, plus cash prizes for the winner's school. Judges: Stephen Romer, Michael Schmidt and Peter McDonald.
Entry Fee: £0
Contact:
Tower Poetry, Christ Church, St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP
Telephone: 01865 286 591
Website: www.towerpoetry.org.uk/prize
Email: info@towerpoetry.org.uk
Words by the Water / Mirehouse Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 12-Feb-10
Details:Competition Theme: 'The bliss of solitude' (Wordsworth) Entries are invited for original poems of no more than 40 lines on the above theme. 1st prize £350. Eight runners up will each receive £100 of new books. There will be a reading of these nine poems at a special event with John Burnside at Mirehouse on Saturday 13th March at 11.30am.
Entry Fee: £4 per poem
Contact:
Mirehouse Poetry Competition, Droridge Farm,
Dartington, Devon TQ9 6JG
For full details email admin@wayswithwords.co.uk or ring 01803 867373.
2010 Wigtown Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 12-Feb-10
Details:1st Prize £2500 Runner up £750 Eight additional prizes of £50 each Judge: Liz Lochhead Gaelic Prize £500 In association with the Gaelic Books Council Gaelic Judge: Meg Bateman
Entry Fee: £6.50 for the first poem, lower rates for additional poems
Contact:
Wigtown Poetry Competition, Wigtown Festival Company, County Buildings, Wigtown, DG8 9JH
Website: www.wigtownbookfestival.com
John Dryden Translation Competition 2009/10 | Closing Date: 15-Feb-10
Details:For literary translations (poetry, prose or drama from any period) from any language into English. First prize £350
Entry Fee: £7 for one, £12 for two, £16 for three entries
Contact:
Professor Jean Boase-Beier, JOhn Dryden Translation Competition, School of Literature & Creative Writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ
Website: www.bcla.org
Email: transcomp@uea.ac.uk
Ambit 200 Words Competition | Closing Date: 15-Feb-10
Details:To celebrate the 200th issue. Judged by Naomi Foyle and David Gaffney. Send poems or prose of 200 words (no longer than 204 words and no shorter than 196 words including the title). First prize: £500
Entry Fee: £4 for first entry and £3 for subsequent entries
Contact: Ambit 200 Words Competition, 17 Priory Gardens, London N6 5QY
Hippocrates Prize | Closing Date: 15-Feb-10
Details:For poems of up to 50 lines. A new international poetry competition on the theme of poetry and medicine with an award fund of £15,000. Judges: Dannie Abse, Sir Bruce Keogh and James Naughtie.
The Prize is supported jointly by the Warwick Institute of Advanced Study and the UK national Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine.
Entry Fee: £6 per poem
Contact:
The Hippocrates Prize, c/o The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine, 12 Chandos Street, London W1G 9DR
Website: www.hippocrates-poetry.org
Norwich Writers' Circle 39th Annual Open Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 16-Feb-10
Details:Adjudicator: Hilary Mellon. Open category (first prize £200) plus sponsored prizes for minimalist poems, humorous poems, and poems on the family. For poems of up to 40 lines.
Entry Fee: £3 per poem
Contact:
NWC Open Poetry Competition Secretary, 1 Stannard Road, Norwich NR4 7JD
Website: www.norwichwriters.org.uk
Brit Writers' Awards | Closing Date: 26-Feb-10
Details:Poetry category for adults: collection of five entries. Poetry category for children: collection of three entries. Overall prize: 10,000 GBP. For full details of the competition, visit the website.
Entry Fee: £10.95
Contact:
Website: www.britwriters.co.uk
Email: enquiries@britwriters.co.uk
Telephone: 0871 237 4442
Grace Dieu Writers' Circle 2010 Writing Competition (Poetry and Prose) | Closing Date: 28-Feb-10
Details:For poems of up to 40 lines. 1st Prize: £350; 2nd Prize: £150; 3rd Prize: £75; 4th Prize: £50; 5th Prize: £25
Entry Fee: £3 for one poem or £10 for 4, £2 for each additional entry over four
Contact: Full details and entry forms can be found at www.gracedieuwriterscircle.co.uk
Alternatively to receive a competition leaflet, please send a SAE to:
The Competition Organiser, 23 Henson Way, Sharnford, Leicestershire, LE10 3PN
Society of Civil and Public Service Writers Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 28-Feb-10
Details:The competition is open only to Society members. Those eligible include serving or retired members of the Civil Service, Armed Forces, National Health Service, Local Government, the Police Force or any Public Service. Poems should be not more than 40 lines.
Entry Fee: £to be announced
Contact:
For details of membership contact Mrs Joan Lewis, 17 The Green, Corby Glen, Grantham, Lincs, NG33 4NP
Email: joan@lewis5634.fsnet.co.uk
Entries should be sent to the Competition Secretary, Nina Mattar, 4 Redruth House, Grange Road, Sutton SM6 6RT
Stafford Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 28-Feb-10
Details:There is a first prize of £1000 and five runner-up prizes of £50. There will be an extra prize of £250 for the best poem with a local Staffordshire connection. For poems of up to 40 lines.
Entry Fee: £4 for the first poem and £3 for subsequent poems
Contact:
Stafford Poetry Competition, Shire Hall Library, Market Street, Stafford ST16 2LQ
Website: www.imaginingstaffordshire.org.uk
Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets | Closing Date: 12-Mar-10
Details:Now in its second year, the Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets, run by the Poetry Book Society and the British Library, will be accepting submissions from 1st February 2010.
There are two awards worth £5,000; the Poetry Award recognises an outstanding work of poetry published in pamphlet form in 2009, and the Publishers? Award is for a publisher to reward their endeavours in promoting poetry pamphlets in 2009.
Entry Fee: £0
Contact:
Hilary Davidson, Awards Administrator, The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets, Poetry Book Society, Fourth Floor,
2 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RA
Tel: 020 7833 9247
Please visit the Poetry Bookshop Online website at www.poetrybookshoponline.com/pamphlets.php or email pamplets@poetrybooks.co.uk for further information including submission guidelines and forms.
Queen Mother Memorial Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 30-Mar-10
Details:Format: 3 verses, 3 lines per verse, 10 words per line. First prize: £50
Entry Fee: £1 per poem
Contact:
19 Westbourne House, London SW1W 8SJ
Website: royalpoetrycompetition.googlepages.com
Email: kumbi.johnson@googlemail.com
David Burland Poetry Prize 2010 | Closing Date: 31-Mar-10
Details:For poems in French or English of up to 40 lines. The entries will be judged by award-winning Poet, Michel François. First prize £150.
Entry Fee: £5 for the first poem, £3 for additional poems
Contact:
Anna Burland Services Limited, 2nd Floor, 3 Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2JB
Email: enquiries@davidburlandpoetryprize.com
Website: www.davidburlandpoetryprize.com
Buxton Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 01-Apr-10
Details:Theme: 'A Breath of Fresh Air'. Judges are Ann and Peter Sansom. The competition has three categories: Open - for poets 19 years and over, £5 to enter, prizes £300, £200 and £100 Young People's - for poets aged from 12 to 18, FREE to enter, prizes are Waterstone?s book tokens Children's - for poets aged 11 and under, FREE to enter, prizes are Waterstone?s book tokens
Entry Fee: £5 or free for under 19s
Contact:
Claire Rhodes, Buxton Festival 3 The Square, Buxton, SK17 6AZ.
Email: claire@buxtonfestival.co.uk
Tel: 01298 70395.
Website: www.derby.ac.uk/buxtonpoetrycompetition
Note: Competition is launched 8 October
Callum Macdonald Memorial Award 2010 | Closing Date: 02-Apr-10
Details:For publishers of Scottish origin, living in Scotland or engaged with Scottish culture may submit up to three pamphlets. For further details, visit the website listed below.
Entry Fee: £0
Contact:
The Administrator, Communications Devision, The Callum Macdonald Memorial Award, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh EH1 1EW
Website: www.scottish-pamphlet-poetry.com
Telephone: 0131 623 3810 / 3808
Email: marketing@nls.uk
Rhyme & Reason Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 06-Apr-10
Details:For poems on the theme 'Anniversary' of up to 30 lines. Judge: Gerard Benson. Poems only accepted electronically. Address below is for entry forms and fees.
Entry Fee: £5 per poem
Contact:
Rhyme & Reason Poetry Competition 2010, 4 Gomms Wood House, Cherry Drive, Forty Green, Beaconsfield, Bucks, HP9 1XW
Email: anniepoet007@aol.com
The following link will take the reader to the Rhyme & Reason page of the IRHH website, which includes a downloadable pdf of the Entry Form: www.irhh.org/rhymeandreason
Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 30-Apr-10
Details:For poems up to 50 lines. Sole adjudicator: Robert Seatter. 1st Prize, £500; 2nd Prize, £200; 3rd Prize, £100 Redpage Sonnet Prize: £100
Entry Fee: £3 per poem, £10 for 4 poems, £2.50 for subsequent poems in the same submission
Contact:
For further details, send SAE to: The Competition Secretary, Clothall End House,
California, Baldock, Herts. SG7 6NU
MAG Poetry Prize 2010 | Closing Date: 30-Apr-10
Details:Raising funds for Mines Advisory Group, the prize fund accumulates at £2 per entry up to £10,000. Judged by entrants. For poems of up to 42 lines.
Entry Fee: £6 per poem
Contact:
Website: www.poeticrepublic.com
Southport Writers' Circle International Poetry Competition 2010 | Closing Date: 30-Apr-10
Details:For poems of up to 40 lines. Adjudicator: Alison Chisholm. First prize: £200. Humour prize and local prize also awarded. Local entrants (Liverpool and Preston postcodes) should mark poems with an 'L' in the top right corner.
Entry Fee: £3 per poem
Contact:
Southport Writers' Circle, 18 Ditchfield, Formby, Merseyside L37 4EQ
Envolopes should be marked 'Poetry Competition'.
