Kudos Featured Competitions

The 2024 National Poetry Competition

Run annually by The Poetry Society since 1978,
one of the most prestigious poetry competitions for a single unpublished poem

Open to all poets worldwide aged 18 or over

1st prize: £5000
2nd: £2000; 3rd: £1000; commendations: £500 each.
Top three winners published in The Poetry Society’s journal The Poetry Review

Notified by the end of February 2025; awards event, Spring 2025

Judges: Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe, Stephen Sexton
Fee: £8, then £5 each.
Poetry Society members (including those joining at time of submission): one additional poem free.

Length: 40 lines

Enter online by midnight on October 31

www.poetrysociety.org.uk/npc

The Bedford Competition

International Short Story & Poetry Awards
Over 17s
Deadline: 31 October 2024

Short Story Competition – up to 3000 words Poetry Competition – up to 40 lines

TBC is a nonprofit group, with donations made to literary causes

Short Story judge: Liv Maidment; Poetry Judge: Jessica Mookherjee

Prizes: £1500, £300 and £200

Cygnature Prizes, sponsored by the University of Bedfordshire, for writers aged 17-25
Also, prizes for local Bedford residents

Entry fees: £8.50 or 3 for £17. Students, £6 or 3 for £12

Details: www.bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk

Sonnet or Not 2024

Cannon Poets invite you to submit poems of 14 lines –

which may or may not keep close to the sonnet form – (or not at all!)

First Prize: £500

Judge: Deborah Alma

www.cannonpoets.org.uk

or Hon. Sec. Cannon Poets, 22, Margaret Grove, Birmingham, B17 9JH

Closing date 31st October

Ironbridge Festival Poetry Competition
Closing Date: October 20
Open to poets from across the globe, and poems on any and every subject are welcome
1st prize: £300
2nd prize of £125; 3 x 3d prizes of £25 each. Local prize: £50
Maximum length: 35 lines Fee: £4.00; £10.00/3
Judge: Paul Francis
https://pandemonialists.co.uk/ironbridge-poetry-competition-2024/

October 19^th, Midnight
Coast to Coast to Coast Individual Poet Prize
Prize: a mini portfolio of poems stitched between unique covers
with a launch in Liverpool during 2025
Submit a manuscript of 12 pages of poetry
Full details below
www.mariaisakova.com/individualpoet-journals-competition

Second Light Competition for long and short poems by women.
Deadline 6th August. Online or postal entries.
 Judge, Wendy French’s latest poetry collection
is Bread Without Butter (Rockingham Press, 2020).
Prizes £325 each long & short/£175/£100; publication in ARTEMISpoetry and online.
One free entry for Second Light members.
Details: http://www.secondlightlive.co.uk/downloads/comp24.pdf

THE FINGAL POETRY PRIZE 2024
For poems in English
Open to all writers nationally and internationally

Entries must be submitted by June 30th 
The winner will receive €500 with awards of €300 and €200 for 2nd and 3rd place 
Judge: Peter Sirr
Prize giving ceremony in Skerries, Saturday September 14^th as Part of Fingal Poetry Festival
Rules and full details of how to enter: https://fingalpoetryfestival.com  
AN FIACH DUBH 2024
Irish Language Competition 
Open to all writers nationally and internationally.
All poems must be composed in the Irish language. No translations to be sent with poems.  
Entries must be submitted by June 30th 
The winner will receive €500 with awards of €300 and €200 for 2nd and 3rd place 
Judge: Brid Ni Mhorain
Rules and full details of how to enter: https://fingalpoetryfestival.com

Wigtown International Poetry Prize

awards £1500 to the winning entry,

welcoming poems of up to 40 lines, on any theme.

Worldwide entries are welcome.

Entry Fee: £7

Deadline: 6 May, 2024

Visit www.wigtownpoetryprize.com for full details

The Anne Brown Essay Prize

£1500 for the best literary essay by a writer in or from Scotland.

Invites fresh, insightful short-form writing

Entries may be on any subject and entry is free.

Deadline: 31 May, 2024

Name: Creative Writing NZ Short Story Prize 2024

Country: International competition open to entrants worldwide.

Closing date: 11.59pm(NZST) on April 30, 2024

Results announced: by June 30th, 2024

Judge: Lucie Brownlee

1st prize: $1,000, a free creative writing course of the winners choice and publication on our website.

Runners-up: $200 each and a free creative writing course of choice.

Entry fee: $9

Word count: 3,000 words maximum.

Open theme/subject/genre

Link: https://creativewriting.co.nz/competition/the-creative-writing-nz-short-story-prize-2024/

Ver Poets Open Competition 2024
Judge Merryn Williams
Closing Date April 30th 2024
1st prize £600; 2nd prize £300; 3rd prize £100
plus anthology of winning and selected poems The Ver Prize 2024
Entry fee: £4 per poem, 3 poems for £10, £3 per poem thereafter
Theme and form open; no more than 30 lines
Entries to Competitions Secretary 23 Nightingale Walk Windsor SL4 3HS
or by email terryjones49@googlemail.com
entry form and details on website www.verpoets.co.uk

Southport Writers’ Circle Annual International Poetry Competition 2024

Closing date: 30/04/24

Chief Judge: Judith Railton

£3 per entry or 4 for £10

First Prize: £150, Second Prize: £75, Third Prize: £25

Catherine Fenerty Humour Prize: £25

All entries must be original and unpublished (including online)

Max 40 lines

English Only (dialect allowable)

Entry Details and Full Rules at http://www.swconline.co.uk