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UK Poetry Competitions (currently (29)

WoLF Poetry Competition.  You don’t have to write about a wild animal for this one, as the name merely refers to the Wolverhampton Literary Festival.   The contest, which is international in scope, is being run by the local Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists who have probably been known to howl at the moon on occasions.  They want poems that surprise, astound and enthral them - all within a 40-line limit.
    Closing: 31.12.24.
    Prizes: £400, £150, £25.  Local prize (WV postcode) - £50.
    Entry Fee: £4 for the first, £3 thereafter.
    Comp Page: WoLF Poetry

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: 31.12.24.
    Prizes: 1st - 6,000 euros.  Runners-up (3) - 1,000 euros.  Commended (8) - 250 euros.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Moth Poetry Comp.

Letter Review Prizes.  Here’s a repeat of the contest from the USA with four categories: Poetry (all kinds, up to 70 lines), Short Fiction (up to 5,000 words), Nonfiction (up to 5,000 words) and Unpublished Books (first 5,000 words of a novel, nonfiction or collection of short stories, or 15 pages of poetry).  In the Unpublished Books category, self-published books are eligible.
    Closing: 1.1.25 (5am).
    Prizes: A share of the $1,000 prize pool in each category.  Poetry, Short Fiction and Nonfiction winners will be published, while Unpublished Book winners can choose to have an extract published and receive a letter of recommendation from the judges.  Winners in the first three categories will also be considered for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.
    Entry Fee: Short Fiction - $20.  Poetry - $15.  Essays and Nonfiction - $20.  Unpublished Book - $20.
    Comp Page: Letter Review Prizes

Shepton Snowdrops Festival Poetry Competition.  Back again for another year is this poetry contest from Shepton Mallet.  This time round the theme is Treasures of Nature (geology, landscape and flora).  You have up to 30 lines in which to explore it.
    Closing: 6.1.25.
    Prizes: 18 and over - £300.  12 to 17 - £100.  Under 11 - £50.  Shortlisted poems will be published in a pamphlet.
    Entry Fee: 18 and over - £4.  Under 18s can enter free (only one per person).
    Comp Page: Shepton Snowdrops

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

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 : 15.1.25.  Opens for entries 15.9.24.
    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 - £4 each,  Young Poets - Free.
    Comp Page: Guernsey Poetry

Bournemouth Writing Prize.  Now an annual event, this international contest is for short stories of up to 3,000 words and poems of up to 30 lines.
    Closing: 15.1.25..
    Prizes: £500 per category plus a one-to-one session with the judges and the chance to perform in front of a live band during the Bournemouth Writing Festival in April 2025.  Shortlisted entrants will be published in a winner's anthology..
    Entry Fee: £10 (covers one short story or three poems).
    Comp Page: B’mouth Writing Prize

Arts Richmond Poetry Competition.  The theme for this one from Richmond in London is Changes.   You have up to 40 lines (200 words max) to play with.   Entries will be judged by the famous Roger McGough who, judging by his photo on the website, is not looking forward to it.  Think of the fee, Roger!
    Closing: 17.1.25 (12.30pm).
    Prizes: £250, £150, £75.  Winners will be invited to read their work at an event with Roger McGough.
    Entry Fee : £5 for one, £12 for three.
    Comp Page: Arts Richmond

Ó Bhéal Five Words Poetry Challenge.  Don’t panic, your poem for this international contest from southern Ireland, can be longer than five words (up to 50).  It just needs to include the five new words posted on the website each Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time).  You will have a week after that to write and submit your entry.  Purely as an example, for the week I wrote this the words were: shadow, vivid, compose, petal, surround.
    Closing (final round): 28.1.25.
    Prizes (in euros): 750, 500, 250.  Winners also receive an invitation to the anniversary event in April 2025, with B&B accommodation plus 100 euros\ for travel.
    Entry Fee: 5 euros.
    Comp Page: Five-words

Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Competition.  This annual contest from Kent & Sussex Poetry Society is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject and in any style.  The judge, poet and novelist Kit Fan, will read all the submissions.
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, 4 x £50.  Winners will be published in the society’s Poetry Folio.
    Entry Fee: £5 each.  Three or more £4 each.
    Comp Page: K&S Poetry.

Keats-Shelley Prize.  There are two categories in this annual contest from the Keats-Shelley Association: poems of up to 30 lines (one A4 page) on the theme of ‘Exile’, and essays running to no more than 3,000 words on any aspect of the work and lives of Keats, Shelley and their circle.  You can interpret the poetry theme freely, they say, but they also say poems that stray too far from the theme will not be considered ... so that’s more like loosely than freely.  Poems can be comic or serious, experimental or traditional.
    Closing: 31.1.25 (10am).
    Prizes (in each category): £1,000, £500.  Winning entries will be published in the Keats-Shelley Review and on the website.
    Entry Fees: Poetry - £10.  Essays - free (you can enter up to two).
    Comp Page: Keats-Shelley Prize

The Young Romantics Prize.  Here’s a freebie from the Keats-Shelley Association for writers between the ages of 16 and 18.  It is for essays ranging between 750 and 1,000 words, and poems of up to 30 lines (one A4 page).  The poetry theme is ‘Exile’, while for the essay you have a choice of two questions to answer: ‘In what ways are Romantic-period writers relevant today?  And: ‘“Mad, bad and dangerous to know.”  How important is a knowledge of Byron’s Life to an understanding of his poetry?’
    Closing: 31.1.25 (10am).
    Prizes (in each category): £750, £300.  Entries will be published in the Keats-Shelley Review and on the website.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: Young Romantics

Magma Poetry Competition.  Here’s another outing for a regular runner from the Carshalton-based poetry magazine Magma.  It has two categories: Judge’s Prize (for poems of 11 to 50 lines), and Editors’ Prize (poems of up to 10 lines).
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes (in each category): £1,000, £300, £150.
    Entry Fee: £5 for the first, £4 for the second, £3.50 thereafter.  It’s cheaper for subscribers.
    Comp Page: Magma Poetry.

The Cheshire Prize for Literature.  This year’s contest from the University of Chester has five categories: Short Story (up to 1,500 words), Poetry (up to 100 lines), Flash Fiction (up to 360 words), Plays (up to 15 minutes, suitable for theatre, TV or radio),  Children’s Literature (story or poem with length limits as above but aimed at 7 to 14 age group),   There are three age categories: 6 to 11, 11 to 17, 18+.  To be eligible to enter you need to have lived, studied or worked at some point in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton.  Documentary evidence may be requested, they say, so if nobody made a documentary about you while you were there, I’m afraid you’ve had it ... although it’s possible I’ve misunderstood this requirement.
    Closing: 31.1.25.
    Prizes (in each category): Cash prizes and book tokens (amounts unspecified at time of writing).
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter. You can submit up to 2 entries if they’re in different categories.
    Comp Page: Cheshire Prize.

New Media Writing Prize.  Behold - another freebie!  Fiction or non-fiction written specifically for reading/viewing on electronic devices is required for this one which is facilitated and sponsored by Bournemouth University Higher Education Corporation Faculty of Media and Communications ... and various other organisations as listed on the website.  Interactivity is vital.  You can combine various digital media elements such as words, images and video clips, and I personally think that if you can include a comments section where bitter underachievers can slag off your efforts out of sheer spite, so much the better.  Short story, novel, poem, documentary, etc, are all acceptable.
    Closing: 1.2.25 (Noon).
    Prizes:  Chris Meade Memorial UK New Media Writing Prize - £1,000.  Opening Up Award - £500.  Digital Journalism Award - yet to be determined.  IDN for Social Good Award - £500.  Student Award - yet to be determined.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.
    Comp Page: NMWP

Arundel Flash Fiction & Poetry Competition.  This contest from the annual Arundel Literary Festival (March 6 to 8) is for poems of up to 40 lines and stories of up to 500 words.  Patrick Osada will be judging the poetry, while Simon Brett will be sussing out the best of the stories.
    Closing: 9.2.25.
    Prizes (in each category): £200, £100.
    Entry Fee: £5 each.
    Comp Page: Arundel Flash & Poetry.

Elmbridge Literary Competition .  The RC Sheriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council have teamed up again to present this annual multi-category contest for poetry and short stories.  The theme this year is The River.   So let’s dive in.  Short stories should be a maximum length of 1,000 words for writers aged between 8 and 13, and 1,500 words for those aged 14+.  Poems can be up to 30 lines.  There is a Little Rhymes and Stories category for youngsters aged 5 to 7, with the rhymes running to no more than 20 lines and the stories to 500 words.  There are strict entry instructions in the T&Cs.  Read ’em or weep.
    Closing: 24.2.25 (5pm).
    Prizes: 19+ age group poem - £250, £150, £100.  19+ short story - £250, £150, £100.  14 to 18 category - £35, £30, £25.  11 to 13 - £35, £25, £20.  8 to 11 - £25, £20, £15.  5 to 7 - £20, £15, £10.  Elmbridge Prize (for an Elmbridge resident) - £50 book token.  Adult prizes, with the exception of the Elmbridge Prize, are in cash, the rest are in book tokens.
    Entry Fee: Adults £5.  Under 18s free.  Optional feedback: £10.  Optional full critique: £25.
    Comp Page: Elmbridge Literary.

Never Such Innocence Writing Competition.  Here we have an international freebie for youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18.  It has four categories - Poetry, Speech, Song and Art - but here I deal only with the first three.  Poems, which should run to no more than 40 lines, must answer the question: How Can We Prevent Future Wars?’  This question applies to the other categories too.  In the Speech category you are required to submit a speech of up to 5 minutes (750 words), in writing and with an audio or video recording.  If you are entering a song, submit a video or audio recording (maximum 4 minutes) plus the written lyrics.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes:  The prizes will be announced later in the competition, say the promoters, and will include some exciting opportunities.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  You can enter each category once.
    Comp Page: Innocence

Canterbury Tales Writing Competition.  Children aged 5 to 18 are invited to enter stories or poems in this freebie from the Chaucer Heritage Trust.  Entries do not have to be set in Canterbury but they must invoke the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.  The theme of the contest is Surprise, Surprise.  You can write a story/poem about a surprise, or a poem or story with a twist ending, or you can write a description of a character who was not what they appeared to be.  Limit your creative efforts to 500 words.  There are three age categories: 5 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15 to 18.  Winners are awarded prizes for themselves and their school’s library.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes (in each age category): 1st - £300, plus £1,000 for the library.  2nd - £150 plus £500 for the library.  3rd - £100  plus £250 for the library.
    Entry Fee: None - free entry (one per person).
    Comp Page: Canterbury Tales

Charles Causley International Poetry Competition.  The contest this year from the Charles Causley Trust is for poems of up to 40 lines on the theme of Peace.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000.  2nd - £200.  3rd - £100.
    Entry Fee: £8 for one, then an additional £5 each.  It is advisable to check your pulse before submitting your work as the rules state that posthumous entries are not allowed.
    Comp Page: Causley Poetry

Charles Causley Young Person’s Poetry Competition.  This one from the Charles Causley Trust is for poets aged 5 to 18 who live in the UK. The theme is Peace.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: Unspecified prizes will be awarded in three age categories: 5 to 10, 11 to 15, 16 to 18.  There will also be a prize for a young poet from Charles Causley’s home county of Cornwall.
    Entry Fee: None - Free entry.
    Comp Page: Causley Poetry

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

Plaza Poetry Prize.  You have up to 60 lines to impress the judge in this annual contest from Plaza Prizes Ltd.
    Closing: 28.2.25.
    Prizes: £4,000, £300, £100.  The ten shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.
    Entry Fee : £12 for the first, £9 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Poetry Prize

Dead Cat Poetry Prize .  I’m all-too familiar with the dead cat bounce (stock market), but this is the first time I‘ve come across a dead cat poetry contest.  But some people are understandably fond of writing about their dearly departed pets, and so it was inevitable that sooner or later someone would come up with a competition.  You can enter up to 60 lines, either as one poem or two.
    Closing: 17.3.25.
    Prizes: £75, £60, £15.
    Entry Fee: A donation (minimum £1).
    Comp Page: Dead Cat Poetry

Rubery Book Award.  This annual international award is for books of all genres published by independent publishers or self-published.  To enter, send a hardcopy of your book by post or submit an ebook electronically.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: 1st - £2,000.  Category winners - £200.  All winners receive a glass plaque.
    Entry Fee: £45.  If you are entering from outside the UK, see the website for pricing.
    Comp Page: Rubery Book.

Plaza Prose Poem Prize.  Prose poems of up to 750 words are requred for this annual contest.  Any theme is acceptable but poems must be written for adults.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: £750, £300, £100.
    Entry Fee: £10 for the first, £7.50 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Plaza Prose Poem.

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize.  Before you clutter up your mind with ideas for poems about caterpillars, let me point out that the name of this annual contest is not intended to indicate the official subject, although if you wish to go that way, you are free to do so.  The only stipulations are that your poem must be suitable for children aged 7 to 11, and it must be written by someone aged over 16..  It can be any length and may have any number of legs, including none.  The Caterpillar, incidentally, is a children’s magazine based in Southern Ireland.
    Closing: 31.3.25.
    Prizes: 1st - 1,000 euros and a week at Circle of Misse in France.  2nd - 500 euros.  3rd - 250 euors.  Winners will be publishd in the Irish Times online.
    Entry Fee: 15 euros.
    Comp Page: Catmag Poetry.

Wergle Flomp Humour Poetry Competition.  This annual freebie from Winning Writers in the USA is for published or unpublished humorous poems (including inspired gibberish) of up to 250 lines.  Before entering, it is advisable to read some of the past winning entries.
   Closing: 1.4.25.
    Prizes: 1st - $2,000 plus a gift certificate.  2nd - $500, $250.  Runners-up (10) - $100.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.  One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Wergle Flomp.

Tom Howard/John H Reid Fiction & Essay Contest.  This regular visitor from Winning Writers in the USA is two competitions in one.  The first is for fiction running to no more than 6,000 words, while the second requires factual essays, also with a limit of 6,000 words.
    Closing : 1.5.25.  Opens for entries 15.10.25.
    Prizes: Story - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate.  Essay - $3,500 plus $100 gift certificate. Honourable Mentions (10) - $500.  The top 12 entries will be published online.
    Entry Fee: $25.
    Comp Page: Tom H Comp.

Frogmore Poetry Prize.  This annual contest is run by Frogmore Press which was founded in 1983 in the Frogmore tearooms in Folkestone.  Well, what else can you do in Folkestone?  I’ll tell you what: you can fall in the sea - a feat I managed at the age of 8.  Will I ever forget that day?  Unlikely, for I had the misfortune to be rescued by my two sisters.  ‘No, no - let me drown!’ I cried.  ‘I’ll never be able to face my mates again.’  But I had the ice cream money in my pocket and so my pleas were ignored.  I later wrote a poem about the shame of it all but it would have been too long for this contest as it ran to 360 lines.  The line limit here is 40.
    Closing: 31.5.25.
    Prize: 1st - 250 guineas.  Classy.  You also get a two-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers.  2nd - 75 guineas and a year’s subscription.  3rd - 50 guineas and a year’s subscription.  Shortlisted poets also get copies of selected Frogmore Press publications, plus publicaion in the mag.
    Entry Fee: £4.
    Comp Page: Frogmore PP

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.
 

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Disclaimer

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