My Novel

My Novel

UK Poetry Competitions (currently (12)

Moth Poetry Prize. This annual contest from Irish magazine The Moth is for poems of any length and on any subject.  I should perhaps mention that the magazine is not devoted to the subject of moths, fascinating though these may be.  It is an arts and literature magazine.  Presumably the name is a reference to the way artists and writers are attracted to the light of recognition only to beat their wings in vain against an invisible barrier until finally, broken and defeated, they slide down to the windowsill of despair.  You’d think the magazine people could have come up with something a bit more cheerful than that, wouldn’t you?
    Closing: 31.12.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 6,000 euros.  Runners-up (3) - 1,000 euros.  Commended (8) - 250 euros.
    Entry Fee: 16 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Poetry Comp.

Hilary Mantel Prize for Fiction.  Here’s a Christmas cracker for novelists.  It comes from mainstream literary agents AM Heath who are inviting entries of long-form fiction by unpublished writers in the UK and Ireland.  To enter, submit the first 15,000 words of your novel, plus a synopsis running to no more than 1,000 words.  Ghosts need not apply for this one: the eligibility rules indicate that you have to be alive.
    Closing: 31.12.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £7,500 and an offer of representation from AM Heath, plus six hours of mentoring from an agent at AM Heath and an editor at John Murray, plus a place on an Arvon residential course.  2nd - £2,500, plus mentoring and a place on an Arvon masterclass.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Hilary Mantel Prize

Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Poetry Competition .  The theme for this annual contest from Shepton Mallet in Somerset is.... wait for it, drum roll, please ... NOT snowdrops.  It is in fact ‘In The Garden’.  There could be snowdrops in the garden but they are not compulsory.  Ditto hedgehogs.  The contest has three age categories: 18 and over, 12 to 17, and  11 and Under.  Poems should be limited to 30 lines.
    Closing: 4.1.26 (11pm).
    Prizes: Age 18 and Over - £300.  12 to 17 - £100.  11 and Under - £50.
    Entry Fee: 18 and Over - £4 each.  Under 18s - free.  There are limits on how many entries you can submit.  See website for details.
    Comp Page: Shepton Snowdrop Poetry

Poems on the Move Competition.  Poems of up to 14 lines that fit onto an A4 page are required for this international contest from the Channel Islands ... or rather one of them: Guernsey.  Twenty-one poems will be chosen to feature on the Guernsey buses, and the top 9 of these will be exhibited at Guernsey Airport and then at other sites all over the island.
    Closing: 15.1.26.
    Prizes: Open category: 1st - £1,000, £500, £250.  Channel Islands; 1st - £250, £50, £30.  Young Poets: 1st - £250, £50, £30.
   Entry Fees: Open and Channel Islands categories - £5 each, £12 for three,  Young Poets - Free.
    Comp Page: Guernsey Poetry

Kent & Sussex Open Poetry Competition. A poem of up to 40 lines could win you a useful wedge in this contest from the Kent & Sussex Poetry Society. There is no theme.
    Closing: 31.1.26.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 4 x £50.
    Entry Fee: £5 each, £4 each for three or more.
    Comp Page: Kent & Sussex Comp

Slipstream Poets Open Poetry Competition.  Here we have another contest from Slipstream Poets of West Sussex.  It is open only to residents of East or West Sussex.  There is a line limit of 40 but no theme.  The judge this time is poet and playwright Ted Gooda.
    Closing: 31.1.26.
    Prizes:  1st - The Chanctonbury Cup and £100.   Best unpublished poet - £25.  Winning poems will be published on the Slipstream website.
    Entry Fee: £4 each.
    Comp Page: Slipstream Poets

Valentines Poetry Competition.  Here we have a free-to-enter romantic poetry contest from Tree2MyDoor, a firm which, as the name indicates, can deliver trees to your door.  You can enter your poem (witty, soppy, romantic or silly) in writing or as a video clip.  Videos should be no longer than 60 seconds, while written poems can be up to 150 words.
    Closing: 14.2.26 at midday (opens for entries 1.2.26).
    Prizes: 1st - a £100 Tree2MyDoor voucher.  The first 50 customers who have had a poem published on the website will received a 50% discount on the item purchased (Valentine's order).
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Valentine Poem.

Hi Michael,
     Thanks for a very useful website. Since finding the contact details on your site, I've won the Txtlit competition twice, and the Write Invite competition four times. With the prize money I'm now entering other competitions. Thanks for keeping us writers posted!
     Best regards, Uta Coutts

Tower Poetry Contest.  Open to students aged 16 to 19 who are in part- or full-time secondary education, the 25th Christopher Tower Poetry Competition is for poems of up to 48 lines.  This year’s theme is ‘A Riddle’
    Closing: 19.2.26 (noon).
    Prizes: £5,000, £3,000, £1,500, and ten at £100.  The top three winners will be offered a place on the Tower Poetry Summer School.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry.
    Comp Page: Tower Poetry

Never Such Innocence Writing Competition.  Here we have a repeat of the international freebie from the charity Never Such Innocence.  It is for youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18.  It has three categories - Poetry, Songwriting, Art - but here I deal only with the first two.  Entries must respond to the theme: ‘In Someone Else’s Shoes.’  If you are entering a song, submit a video or audio recording (maximum 4 minutes) plus the written lyrics.
    Closing: 27.2.26.
    Prizes:  Winners have their work published in a digital booklet, and will receive an NSI Prize Pack.  They will also be invited to take part in special opportunities.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  You can enter each category once.
    Comp Page: Innocence

Dear Michael
   I discovered your excellent site a few months back and entered some of the poetry competitions. I have in all my long years never received a payment for anything I have written, but I today received an email from Cooldog Publications to say I have won second prize in their E-mag Poetry Competition! £50! What a great way to start the new year.
   I just had to write and say thanks to you for the trouble you have taken with your site and how much I appreciate the sense of humour that underpins it.
  This has given me a terrific boost.
                                                                                -  Carol Browne

Fish Poetry Prize.  Poems of up to 60 line in any style are invited for this annual international contest from Fish Publishing based in southern Ireland.   Billy Collins will again be judging.
    Closing: 31.3.26.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros.   2nd - 300 euros plus a Fish writing course.  3rd - 300 euros.  Ten poems will be published in the Fish Anthology 2026.  The writers will each receive five free copies and will be invited to read at the launch ceremony at the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2026.
    Entry Fee: 16 euros, for the first, 11 euros thereafter.
    Comp Page: Fish Poetry.

Rialto Nature & Place Poetry Competition.  Any aspect of nature and place is the theme of this annual contest from The Rialto magazine in association with the RSPB, Birdlife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre.  Poems of up to 40 lines are required.  The judge is Mona Arshi.
    Closing: 1.4.26.
    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250.
    Entry Fee: £7 for the first, £4 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Rialto N&P.

Bridport Prize.  This famous international competition from the Bridport Arts Centre is one of the most prestigious writing contests in the British literary calendar.  Everyone in the trade whose mind is not addled by drugs has heard of it, and they will be impressed if you can claim to have won it.  The good news is that winning it is easy.  All you have to do is submit the best poem, short story or flash fiction, the poem having no more than 42 lines, the short story running to no more than 5,000 words.  For those who find 5,000 words too tiring to write, the flash fiction category is ideal as it has a word limit of only 250 (if that’s too much, consider becoming a poet).
    Closing: 31.5.26.
    Prizes: Short Stories, Poems (in each category) - £5,000, £1,000, £500, and ten @ £100.  Flash Fiction - £1,000, £500, £250, and five @ £100.  Winning entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fees:  Poem - £13.  Short Story - £15.  Flash Fiction - £12.
    Comp Page: Bridport Prize.

Hi Michael
     I spent a year or so reading all those comments on your website from people who, since consulting your list, seem have won just about every competition going. I read it and thought it must be too good to be true – but worth a try. Then, on my third submission, I have actually gone and won the Yeovil Literary Prize for Poetry. I am absolutely over the moon, unable to believe it, etc.  Thank you so much.
                                                                                   -  Andy Miller

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Notes: Unless otherwise stated in the rules, poetry should be single-spaced.  It is sometimes the case that your name shouldn’t appear on the manuscript. Check the rules.  If you put your name on there after being told not to, you’re out.  Don’t use coloured paper or fancy fonts.  The colour and pizzazz to make you stand out from the crowd should be in the words.  Plain white A4 80gsm paper is the stuff to use, with plain black typing or print.  My preferred font for poetry manuscripts printed on an inkjet or laser printer is Gill Sans in 12 point (13 if I’m not pressed for space).  This gives a clear, dark print that’s easy to read.  Although publishers and agents sometimes demand the feeble Courier font, which comes out on my printers like something produced by a typewriter with an antique ribbon, I’ve never known competition organisers to express any preference.  But as always, check the rules.  Finally, write on one side of the sheet only - unless asked to put your address, etc, on the back.
 

Finally, as you sift through the remnants of your shattered dreams and wonder if it’s worth going on ... www.samaritans.co.uk/

Disclaimer

   
For other types of writing contests see the full list on my Writing Comps page.