The Bedford Competition International & Short Story & Poetry Awards Short Story Competition – up to 3000 words. Poetry Competition – up to 40 lines on any theme. TBC is a non-profit group, all net proceeds going to charities Short story judge, Tim Jarvis. Poetry judge, Kirsten Norrie/MacGillivray Details: www.bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk Prizes: £1500, £300 and £200 All entries go into the main competitions; those aged 17 to 25 or Bedford residents qualify for special prizes as well. Entry fee: £7.50 or 3 for £15. Students, £5 or 3 for £10. Closing date: 31 October 2023
‘Sonnet or Not’ 2023 Cannon Poets invite poems of 14 lines. First Prize £500 Judge: Gregory Leadbetter Full details: www.cannonpoets.org.uk or from Hon. Sec. Cannon Poets, 22, Margaret Grove, Birmingham, B17 9JH Closing date 31st October
Second Light Poetry Competition for Long and Short Poems by Women 2023
Myra Schneider has agreed to judge the Second Light Poetry Competition 2023. As always, the theme is open, and first prizes are awarded in two categories: Short (50 lines or under) and Long (over 50 lines). 2nd & 3rd prizes may be from either category. Winners and Commended poets will notified by 30th September and the poems published in ARTEMISpoetry Issue 31 (November 2023), either in full or extract. This is one of very few competitions where poems previously published in a magazine only (in print or online) are eligible. MYRA SCHNEIDER has published 16 collections, the latest Siege and Symphony. A new collection, Believing in the Planet, is due out from Poetry Space this year. She has tutored for The Poetry School and Second Light and has published several guides to poetry writing. £325 First Prize for each of Long (no upper limit) and Short (max 50 lines) poems £175 Second Prize (1 poem from either category); £100 Third Prize (1 poem from either category) Winning & Commended Poems published (in full or extract) in ARTEMISpoetry We aim to offer Winners a reading (may be online). Deadline Thursday 20th July Entry: £8 each per long poem. Short poems: £6 each or £11 for 3, £16 for 8. Enter by post (preferred; 2 copies):
FEDERATION OF WRITERS SCOTLAND ANNUAL COMPETITION 2023 Five categories, poetry (any number of poems, no more than 40 lines each), short stories (any number, between 501 and 2000 words each), flash fiction/mini-story (any number, up to 500 words), Gaelic and Scots (poetry, flash fiction and short story, line and word limits as above). Prizes in each category: 1st prize £100, 2nd prize £25, 3rd prize £10. Brian Whittingham Memorial Prize £50. Open entry. Closing date for the competition 18 August 2023 Entry fee is £4 for each entry For full rules go to https://www.federationofwriters.scot/competition
AN FIACH DUBH 2023 Irish Language Competition Open to all writers Opens for entries May 1st Entries must be submitted by June 30th The winner will receive €500 with awards of €300 and €200 for 2nd and 3rd place Judge: Paddy Bushe Part of the Fingal Poetry Festival Prize giving ceremony in Skerries, September 16th For rules and full details of how to enter, please see website: https://fingalpoetryfestival.com
THE FINGAL POETRY PRIZE 2023 English Language Competition Open to all writers Opens for entries May 1st Entries must be submitted by June 30th The winner will receive €500 with awards of €300 and €200 for 2nd and 3rd place Judge: Jessica Traynor Part of the Fingal Poetry Festival Prize giving ceremony in Skerries, September 16th For rules and full details of how to enter, please see website: https://fingalpoetryfestival.co
Winchester Poetry Festival opens the ever-popular Winchester Poetry Prize for submissions.
Winchester Poetry Festival is calling on poets from around the world to submit their best, unpublished work to be in with a chance of winning £1000. Poems can be on any subject and in any form or style but must be written in English and be no more than 40 lines. This year, we are pleased to announce that our 2023 Winchester Poetry Prize judge, is multi-award winning poet and author, Zaffar Kunial.
Winchester Poetry Prize offers prizes for poems judged as being the top three, with a special prize for the best poem by a poet living in Hampshire. The Winchester Poetry Prize is one of the few literary competitions where the winners are announced live at the Award Ceremony with no knowledge of their placing in advance. Additionally, Winchester Poetry Festival also publishes all winning and commended poems in a competition anthology which is also launched at the live ceremony.
This exciting prize-giving event will take place in front of a live audience at The ARC, Winchester, as part of the Winchester Poetry Festival programme 13-15 Oct 2023.
Zaffar Kunial says:
“I’m really looking forward to reading your poems, and whatever their subject and whatever their style. Good luck!”
Chair of Winchester Poetry Festival, Jane Bryant, says:
“The Winchester Poetry Prize has grown in popularity since its inception in 2016. It acts as a creative catalyst for some tremendous poets and writers locally, nationally, and internationally. We welcome entries from all writers. Last year we were delighted to receive poems from over 2000 people from more than 35 countries. What a fabulous indication of the value of poetry in people’s professional and personal lives.”
Managing Partner at Paris Smith (lead sponsor), Huw Miles says:
“We are honoured to continue our support of the Winchester Poetry Prize, an inspiring and significant platform celebrating the power of words and the vital role poetry plays in our society. As a firm that values creativity, innovation and diversity, we believe the arts – and poetry, in particular – possess the unique ability to capture emotions, challenge perspectives and foster connections between people. The Winchester Poetry Prize is a fantastic opportunity for both established and emerging poets to showcase their talent. We are thrilled to be part of this journey in nurturing the literary arts. Our partnership with this esteemed competition reaffirms our commitment to supporting the creative community and helping to amplify the voices of these gifted writers, whose works enrich our world in so many ways.”
Winchester Poetry Prize is an annual competition that attracts writers of all abilities from all over the world. Entry is £6 for the first poem, and £5 for subsequent poems. There is a pay-it-forward scheme originally set up by 2020’s competition winner, Lewis Buxton. This enables those who can afford to enter the competition to support emerging poets who cannot. Details of how you can contribute to, or benefit from, this scheme can be found here: www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/prize
The competition closes at 23:59 on 31 July 2023. Poems can be submitted by email or by post.
Wirral Poetry Festival. Open Poetry Competition 2023 Closing date 26 May Open prizes adjudicated by David J Costello; Wirral Prizes by Pauline Rowe Open prizes:1st prize £250, 4 £25 runner-up prizes. Wirral prizes (for entrants living/working in Wirral): 1st Prize £100, 2 £25 runner-up prizes Entry: £4 per poem / £10 for 3 poems Enter online at www.wirralpoetryfestival.org.uk Winners to be notified by 7 July 2023 and invited to a competition celebration during the Wirral Poetry Festival in October
