"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.
Virginia Warbey Poetry Prize 2012 | Closing Date: 19-May-12
Details:For poems up to 40 lines. Prizes: 1st £600; 2nd £300; 3rd £150; 10 runners-up £25.
Entry Fee: £4
Contact:
www.virginiawarbeypoetryprize.co.uk
CFW Poetry, PO Box 474, Eastleigh, SO50 0AN
Printerinks Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 21-May-12
Details:Prize £100. For poems up to 45 lines. Copy and paste the poem into the body of an email. The winner's name and poem will appear on Printerinks Facebook page.
Entry Fee: £0
Contact: Email your poem to competitions@printerinks.com
Welsh Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 27-May-12
Details:For poems in English up to 50 lines. 1st Prize, £300; 2nd Prize, £150 and 3rd Prize, £75. Judge: John Evans.
Entry Fee: £4
Contact:
The Page is Printed Creative Writing Competition | Closing Date: 29-May-12
Details:For writing in any genre on one side of printed A4. Adult Prize: £100 Waterstones voucher, £50 Waterstones voucher, £25 Waterstones voucher. Under 16s: 5 prizes of £20 Waterstones Voucher. Everyone who enters the competition will be given a complimentary ticket to attend our Open Mic Spoken Word Night on Friday 29th June 2012, 7:30pm.
Entry Fee: £4 (under 16s free)
Contact:
Online: You can pay your £4 entry fee online (£2.50 plus £1.50 booking fee). On completion of payment you will be given a unique Paypal code which needs to go on your entry form. Email your page and completed form to: thepageisprinted@gmail.com
By Post: Send us your page and entry form along with a cheque payable to The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre to :
The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, School Road, Taunton, TA2 8PD
By Phone: Call us on 01823 414141 to pay by card and email your entry to thepageisprinted@gmail.com
Poetry Lostock Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 30-May-12
Details:Celebrating 40 years of The Joy of Sex 1972 edition. For poems of up to 40 lines. The subject is 'The Joy of Sex'. Judges Mabel Watson (winner of Poetry Lostock 2011) & Wendy Klein (Cuba in the Blood). First Prize: The Joy of Sex (Alex Comfort) 1972 plus £100; second Prize: How to Be a Good Lover plus £50; third Prize: The Illustrated Karma Sutra plus £25. All poems plus 20 shortlisted to be included in a new anthology: The Joy of Sex 2012.
Entry Fee: £3
Contact:
http://poetrylostock.blogspot.com/
Pay for entry/entries at website then send poems to poetrylostock@gmail.com
Proverse Prize 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:For an unpublished book-length work. Poetry collections should be between 8,000 and 30,000 words. The first prize is publication of the entered work and HK$10,000, (HKD7.80 = US$1.00). Additional publication prizes may be awarded. Full details, including background, previous winners, winning and other entered works already published, as well as selected events, media notices and press releases, are on the Proverse website. Deadlines are: 31 May 2012 (Entry Forms), 30 June 2012 (Entered Work).
Entry Fee: £32
Contact: http://www.proversepublishing.com
General enquiries to the following email address: info@proversepublishing.com
Frogmore Poetry Prize 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:For poems up to 40 lines. Adjudicator: Janet Sutherland. 1st prize: 200 guineas and a 2 year subscription to The Frogmore Papers; 2nd prize: 75 guineas and a year subscription; 3rd prize: 50 guineas and a year subscription.
Entry Fee: £3.00
Contact:
Cheques and postal orders payable to The Frogmore Press
The Frogmore Press, 21 Mildmay Road, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1PJ
http://www.frogmorepress.co.uk/
The Psychiatry Research Trust Poetry Competition2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:For previously unpublished poems in English, in any style, on any subject. Maximum Length: 50 lines. Prizes: £150 (1st), £75 (2nd), £40 (3rd) and £10 x 3 (High Commendation). All winning and commended poems receive first publication in Sentinel Champions magazine.(A third of net entry fees goes to the Trust.) Judge: Derek Adams.
Entry Fee: £4/1 Poem, £7.50/2 poems, £10.50/3 poems, £12.50/4 poems and £14/5 poems
Contact:
Enter online and pay securely via PayPal or print off an Entry Form for postal entry at:
http://www.easternlightepm.com/excelforcharity/psychtrust-poetry-competition/
Send cheque/postal orders payable to EASTERN LIGHT EPM INTERNATIONAL to address: Eastern Light EPM International, Unit 136, 113-115 George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1AB, United Kingdom.
Bridport Prize 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:Poetry Judge, Gwyneth Lewis. Poetry Prizes: £5000, then £1000, then £500. Ten runners-up of £50. Maximum 42 lines. Also, £100 for best local (Dorset) poem.
Entry Fee: £7
Contact:
Full details: http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/poems.htm
The Bridport Prize, PO Box 6910, DORSET DT6 9BQ
The Crabbe Memorial Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:For poems up to 40 lines. Adjudicator Kenneth Steven. 1st prize, £500; 2nd, £150; 3rd, £100. Two highly commended prizes of £25 each. Open to anyone who was either born, resident or educated in Suffolk, or is a member of The Suffolk Poetry Society. See website for full details.
Entry Fee: £3 for first poem and £2 per poem thereafter.
Contact: http://www.sufolkpoetrysociety.org.uk
Peace and Love Poems Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:1st £100 plus website publication, 2nd £50 plus website publication, 3rd £25 plus website publication. All 3 winners will have their poems published in the next Bards At Blidworth and Beyond Anthology. Judged by the Thynks Team.
Entry Fee: £3
Contact:
The Competitions Secretary, 18 Hillside Road, Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, NG21 0TR
Website:- http://www.thynkspublications.co.uk/competitions
Email: thynkspublications@yahoo.co.uk
The Erbacce Prize for Poetry 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:The winner receives a contract with Erbacce Press and publication of a full paperback collection of poems. Two runners-up receive a prize of a pamphlet collection being published by Erbacce Press.
Entry Fee: £0
Contact: Full details and competition rules at www.erbacce-press.com
Earlyworks Press Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 31-May-12
Details:£75 first prize, 3 x £10 runners up. Quality book publication for best entries.
Entry Fee: £3.50 per poem or £12 per six entries
Contact: www.earlyworkspress.co.uk/Competitions.htm
The Times Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation | Closing Date: 01-Jun-12
Details:Three prizes in each of the Open and 18-and-under categories. The winners of the Open prizes will receive £1000 (first), £750 (second) and £500 (third); the winners of the under-18 prizes will win £250 (first), £150 (second) and £100 (third). There will be one prize (£100) awarded in a 14-and-under category. Each entry must comprise the following: the translation, the original poem, a commentary. Judges: Susan Bassnett, Edith Hall, Patrick McGuinness & George Szirtes. 60 lines maximum.
Entry Fee: £5 (Anyone eighteen or under on 1 June 2012 is exempt from this charge)
Contact:
The Times Stephen Spender Prize, The Stephen Spender Trust, 3 Old Wish Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4JX
Online entry and full details at http://www.stephen-spender.org/
Wirral Festival of Firsts Open Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 01-Jun-12
Details:3 Categories, each for poems up to 40 lines: (a) Open poetry competition. First prize £100, then 2 x £50 prizes; (b) Humourous poetry competition. Prizes as category (a); (c) Under 16s Poetry competition. First prize £50 in book vouchers. 4 x runners-up at £25.00 each. Adjudicators: Jan Dean, Andrew Rudd and Colin Watts.
Entry Fee: £3 per poem, £5 for 2 poems (Free for under 16s category)
Contact:
Full details at www.festivaloffirsts.co.uk
Wirral Festival of Firsts Poetry, 71 Alderley Road, Hoylake, CH47 2AU
The Edwin Morgan International Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 04-Jun-12
Details:In association with Strathclyde University and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. First prize of £5000 and lesser prizes of £1000, £500 and £50 (x 2). Entries can be in either English or Scots. Judges: Don Paterson and Gillian K. Ferguson. Maximum of 60 lines per poem. Full details on website.
Entry Fee: £5 per poem (max 3 poems per entrant)
Contact:
http://www.edwinmorganpoetrycompetition.co.uk
Mslexia Women's Poetry Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 18-Jun-12
Details:For poems of any length. Judge: Gillian Clarke. 1st: £2000 plus mentoring and retreat, 2nd: £400, 3rd: £200 & 17 x £25. See website for full details.
Entry Fee: £7 for up to 3 poems, £14 for up to 6 etc
Contact:
Mslexia Publications LTD, PO Box 656, Freepost NEA5566, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 1BR
Mslexia Women's Pamphlet Competition 2012 | Closing Date: 18-Jun-12
Details:For collections of 20-24 pages of 18-20 poems. Judge: Amy Wack. Winner gets published by Seren Books plus £250. See website for full details.
Entry Fee: £20
Contact:
Mslexia Publications Ltd, PO Box 656, Freepost NEA5566, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 1BR
Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition | Closing Date: 20-Jun-12
Details:For previously unpublished poems in English Language, in any style, on any subject. Maximum Length: 50 lines. Prizes: £150 (1st), £75 (2nd), £50 (3rd) and £10 x 3 (High Commendation). All winning and commended poems receive first publication in Sentinel Champions magazine. Judge: Will Daunt.
Entry Fee: £3 (per poem), £11 (4 poems), £12 (5 poems).
Contact:
Enter online and pay securely via PayPal or print off an Entry Form for postal entry at http://sentinelquarterly.com/competitions/poetry-0712/
Send cheque/postal orders payable to SENTINEL POETRY MOVEMENT to:
Sentinel Poetry Movement, Unit 136, 113-115 George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1AB, United Kingdom.
Pighog Moss Rich International Poetry Prize | Closing Date: 29-Jun-12
Details:For poems up to 30 lines. Entries must be written to produce a humorous or satirical effect. Each poet may enter up to 4 poems.
Entry Fee: £3 per poem or £10 for 4 poems submitted together
Contact:
Electronic submissions at www.pighog.co.uk
Submissions by post to Pighog Press, P.O. Box 145, Brighton BN1 6ZA England UK.
Cheques payable to Pighog Press and crossed A/C Payee
