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UK Poetry Competitions (currently (18)

The Astley Prize.  ‘A sense of a place’ is the theme of this year’s short story contest from the Nairn Book and Arts Festival.  Entries of up to 5,000 words are welcome.  Above that, not welcome.  They are looking for bold, original storytelling from writers worldwide.  The winning stories will be published on the websute, and their writers will be invited to read at the Festival.
    Closing: 30.6.26.
    Prizes: £500, £100, £50.
    Entry Fee: £12 for the first, .£5 each thereafter.
    Comp Page: Astley Prize

Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026.  Here’s another freebie, this time from Mist and Mountain creative platform.   Poems of up to 40 lines on the theme of Journey are required.
    Closing: 30.6.26
    Prizes: 1st - £200 and a specially created ceramic bowl from the late poet’s ceramicist’s daugher.  Runners-up (2) - £50 and a small ceramic bowl.
    Entry Fee: None - free to enter.. One entry per person.
    Comp Page: Rochford Prize

McLellan Poetry Competition.  Arran Theatre and Arts Trust is looking for poems of up to 80 lines in English for its latest poetry contest.  There is a separate contest for the best poem in the Scottish language.
    Closing: 15.6.26.
    Prizes: English - £1,000.  Scots language - £1,000.
    Entry Fee: £8 for the first, £5 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Arran Poem

Wells Festival of Literature Competitions.  Here we have a return of the famous Wells Litfest and its various competitions: Poetry, Short Story, Book for Children, Young Poets.  I should mention before we go any further that we are talking about Wells in Somerset, not Wells in Norfolk which also has an annual litfest (I wouldn’t want you turning up at the wrong event to receive your prize or to berate the judges for not awarding you anything).  Anyway, back to business.  For the Poetry you are allowed up to 40 lines, while the Short Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words.  For the Book for Children, which must be suitable for youngsters aged 7+ (includes YA), you need to submit the first three chapters (or the first 30 pages, this being the maximum), plus a synopsis of up to 2 pages.   If shortlisted, you may be asked to submit the complete manuscript.  The Young Poets category, for budding bards aged between 16 and 22, requires poems of no more than 40 lines.
    Closing: Adults - 30.6.26.  Young Poets - 31.7.26.  Opens for entries 1.4.26 (no, really, I’m not fooling!).
    Prizes: Poetry - £1,000, £500, £250.  Short Story, Book for Children (in each category) - £750, £300, £200.  Young Poets - £200, £150, £100.  Additional prizes: Local Prize for poetry, short story - £100 in each category.  Book for Children Local Prize - £100.
    Entry Fee: Adult categories - £8.  Young Poets - £3.
    Comp Page: Wells Litfest.

Poetry London. Open worldwide, this annual contest from Poetry London is inviting entries of  up to 80 lines in English on any subject.
    Closing; 30.6.26.
    Prizes: £5,000, £2,000, £1,000.  Winners will be published in the mag and on the website.
    Entry Fee: £10 (£5 for subscribers to the mag).
    Comp Page: Poetry London

Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize.  ‘Wasafiri’, according to the website, ‘is a literary magazine at the forefront of mapping new landscapes in international literature.’  Try saying that in Kiswahili, the language from which the magazine’s title comes.  Now, you are probably thinking that the magazine itself must hail from Africa, but this is not so.  It was born at the University of Kent in 1984 and, as far as I know. it has no African connection at all.  Nor, I might add, has the contest.  This has three categories (Poetry, Fiction, Life Writing) and is open to anyone anywhere in the world who has not published a complete book in their chosen category.  The word limit for the Fiction and Life Writing is 3,000.  In the poetry category, you can submit up to three poems (total words 3,000 max) for the same entry fee (start each poem on a separate page in the same document).  You can enter more than one category, but only once each.  Incidentally, ‘wasafiri’, in case your Kiswahili is a bit rusty, means ‘cultural traveller’.  Incidentally, if you are stuck for inspiration, you can now translate someone else’s work into English and enter that.  Do remember to credit the original creator though.
    Closing: 30.6.26.
    Prize (in each category): £1,000 and publication in the mag.  Winners and shortlisted writers will  be offered Chapter & Verse or Free Reads mentoring in partnership with The Literary Consultancy.  Shortlisted entries will be published on the website.
    Entry Fee: £12.  If you enter two separate categories it’s £16.
    Comp Page : Wasafiri Prize.

The International Welsh Poetry Competition.  It’s been with us for 20 years but unfortunately this is the last of appearance for this  contest from Wales.   Poems must be in English.  There is no  theme.
   Closing: 28.6.26.
    Prizes: £500, £250, £100.  Winners and runners-up will be published on the website and in an anthology.
    Entry Fee: £6.
    Comp Page: Welsh Poetry

The Shelley Memorial Project International Poetry Competition.  Poems of up to 50 lines are invited for this regular visitor to my list.  The theme this year is Liberty.
    Closing : 15.7.26.
    Prizes: £300, £200, £100,   Plus the Sussex Cup. which is awarded to the best poem from a Sussex-Based writer.
    Entry Fee: £5.
    Comp Page: Shelley Poetry

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: 29.7.26 (5am).
    Prizes: A share of the $1,000 prize pool in each category.  Poetry and Short Fiction 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 three categories will also be considered for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.
    Entry Fee: Short Fiction - $25.  Poetry - $20.  Book - $30.   There are lower entry fees for early bird entries.  See website for details (if none are shown, it means you weren’t early enough).
    Comp Page: Letter Review Prizes

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

Winchester Poetry Prize.  Back with a bang like a shot from a Winchester rifle is this annual contest from the Winchester Poetry Festival.  It is for poems of up to 40 lines.  As usual it is open globally.  This year acclaimed Poet Julia Copus will be judging.
    Closing: 31.7.26.
    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250.  Winners will be announced live at a special prize-giving ceremony as part of Winchester Poetry Day on October 10, 2026.  All longlisted poems will appear in an anthology which will be available on the day.  There is also a prize for the best poem written by a Hampshire-based poet.
    Entry Fee: £7 for the first, £5 thereafter.
    Comp Page: Winchester Poetry

Oxford Poetry Prize.  Here’s another international contest from Oxford Poetry, the oldest dedicated poetry magazine in the UK (founded 1910).  It is for poems of up to 60 lines.  The prizes for this year  have been doubled, so the contest must be doing well.
    Closing: 31.8.26 (midnight UTC).
    Prizes: £2,000, £1,000, £500.  The prize-winning poems will be published in a print issue of Oxford Poetry.
    Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: Oxford 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: 15.8.26..
    Prizes: £1,000, £300, £200  per category plus the chance to perform at the Bournemouth Writing Festival in April 2027.  Shortlisted entrants will be published in a winner's anthology.   First prize wnners in each category will receive 2 tickets to any talk or workshop held during the three-day event.
    Entry Fee: £10 (covers one short story or three poems).
    Comp Page: B’mouth Writing Prize

Hastings Book Festival Competition.  Short stories and poetry are the order of the day for the main categories, the stories having a word allowance of up to 2,500, the poetry a line allowance of up to 40. There are additional prizes for writers living in East and West Sussex.
    Closing: 31.8.26 (before 10pm).
    Prizes (in each of the two main categories): £250, £100, £50.  Sussex Prize - 2 x a two-night writing retreat.
    Entry Fee: £9 for one, £17 for two, £24 for three.
    Comp Page: Hastings Bookfest Comp

Enfield Poetry Competition.  Poems of up to 30 lines are invited for this annual contest from Enfield Poets.  The judge is Hannah Copley, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Westminster.
    Closing: 31.8.26.
    Prizes: £500, £250, £125.  Winners will be invited to read their work at the Enfield Literaty Festival  September 26 - 27.
    Entry Fee: £4 each, £10 for three.
    Comp Page: Enfield Poetry

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

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award.  The writing in question for this contest from Aesthetica Magazine is short fiction running to no more than 2,000 words, and poetry of up to 40 lines.  Submissions can be on any subject and may have been previously published.
    Closing: 8.9.26.
    Prize (in each category): £2,500 plus other writing related prizes.  Finalists will be published in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual.
    Entry Fee: Up to 31.8.26 - £18 for fiction, £12 for poetry.  Between 1.9.26 and 6.9.26 - £24 for fiction, £18 for poetry.
    Comp Page: Aesthetica Award.

Creative Writing Ink Competition.   There is no theme for this regular short story contest from the Creative Writing Ink website.  As usual it is open worldwide and has a word limit is 3,000.
    Closing: 30.9.26 at 5pm.
    Prizes: 1st - £1,000 and a creative writing course of your choice, plus publication on the website..  Runners-up - £200 and publication on the website.
    Entry Fee: £12.
    Comp Page: Creative Writing Ink

Hammond House International Writing Competitions.  This annual offering from Hammond House Publishing at University Centre Grimsby is for short stories of between 1,000 and 5,000 words, poems of up to 40 lines, scripts (theatre, radio, short film, TV, comedy sketches) of up to 10 pages (= approx. 10 minutes duration) and Songwriting in the form of just lyrics or complete songs..  In all categories the theme this year is Destiny.
    Closing: 30.9.26.
    Prizes: Short Story - £1,000, £100,  £50.  Poetry - £1,000, £100, £50.  Script - £100, £50, £25.  Songwriting - £100, £50, £25 in each sub-category, plus the song will be played at the 2026 Literary Festival and released worldwide on the Hammond House record label.  All shortlisted entries will be published in the anthology (in the song category, this will be lyrics only).
   Entry Fee: £10.
    Comp Page: HH Lit Prize

Bedford Writing Competition.  This annual not-for-profit contest from Bedfordshire, home of the famous Shuttleworth Collection (old aeroplanes and cars) is for stories of up to 3,000 words and poems running to no more than 40 lines.  There is also the Cygnature story and poetry contest, open to young writers aged 17 to 25.  Plus there is the Bedford Prize for Bedford residents.
    Closing: 31.10.26.
    Prizes in each category (Poetry, Short Story): £2,000, £400, £300.   Cygnature Short Story and Poetry - £300 in each category.  In addition there is £100 in each category for the Bedford Prize..  Shortlisted and winning entries will be published in an anthology (e-book and hardcopy).
    Entry Fee: £8.50 each, £17 for three.  Full-time students: £6 each, £12 for three.
    Comp Page: BWC.

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.