Kent & Sussex Poetry Society, Open Poetry Competition, 2024
Judge: Kathryn Gray
Deadline 31 January
1st Prize: £1000
2nd Prize: £300; 3rd Prize: £100; 4th Prize x 4: £50 each.
Poems in English, unpublished, own work, 40 lines or fewer. Minimum age 16 years.
Entry by email. Payment through Paypal via our website.
£5 per poem; or £4 each for 3 or more poems.
Further details: www.kentandsussexpoetry.com
New: Annual Orbis Poetry Prize
sponsored by The Word Masala Foundation (Yogesh Patel)
The first prize of £200 will be awarded
to the best poem published in the magazine during 2025
Two runners-up will receive £25 each.
(This is in addition to the Orbis Readers’ Award of £50
plus £50 between the runners-up)
Please continue to vote for your favourite poem in every issue
keeping a record of the choices each time.
Then in December, vote for the best one for the year;
Results will be announced in #2015, Spring 2026.
Orbis 211, Spring 2025
Front cover artwork: ‘Plein Air’ by Jerry LoFaro:
www.jerrylofarodesigns.com/
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Orbis 200: What a beautiful looking edition ! Must get this.
Congratulations on the magazine’s longevity and high standards
(Anna Saunders, Director at Cheltenham Poetry Festival)
Orbis 200: ‘All the best to you, and to Orbis!’
(Glyn Maxwell; shortlisted for Best Collection in the Forward Prize)
‘Best wishes for the journal –
and congratulations on such a successful magazine over the years’
(Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate)
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Single issue: £6.00 (Overseas: £12/€14/$16);
Subs: £20/4 pa (Overseas: £45/€55/$60)
Associate Editor (Book Reviews): Maria Isakova-Bennett
Reviews by:
Philip Dunkerley, David Harmer, Jenny Hockey,
D.A.Prince, Theresa Sowerby, Pam Thompson
Please note with new collections, press release in first instance
to the Book Reviews Editor – not review copies.
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At long last, a wee bit of sunshine – but don’t get too carried away.
After all, as Simon Maddrell points out, we’re all alone, thinking,
maybe even wondering what happened to Pat Marum and The Disappeared?
But if you’re ready for A Sound Decision with Jim C. Wilson, Abrahm Beezley
will put it to The Test, allowing for Compressed Time (Diana Pinto),
or for S. C. Flynn to come to the Rescue. Can you maybe solve
Angela Martinot’s quandary: What is that elephant doing in my dream?
while Steven Taylor will tell you about another strange Encounter,
like Blaithin Allain and The Sea Bride, or Fran Bourassa, on The Land.
And what’s the difference between John Gilham’s Flâneur
and Rob McClure’s Flâneuse?
Orbis has the answers….
Featured Writer
Julie Burke
The cry of the horseman
Goldilocks: a reflection on a life of crime
A bookish sort of woman
Embraced
Hidden in plain sight
Poets include Blaithin Allain (The Sea Bride); S. C. Flynn (Children of the ice);
Michael Foley (The old man and the wind); Natalie Fry (The Land Turtle);
Rob McClure (The Relativity of Simultaneity); Angela Martinot
(What is that elephant doing in my dream?); Diana Pinto (Compressed Time)
Prose from Gary Duehr (Who’s Afraid Of Bob?);
Ayelet McKenzie (The member of the singing group);
Harry Waight (Man is born on fire)
Translation:
Ma Yongbo and Helen Pletts: 山中醉酒 (Getting Drunk in the Mountains)
Past Master: Pat Farrington on Anne Bradstreet
Orbis 211 Contributors also include
Aidan Baker; Arthur Broomfield; David Callin; Fíona Donaghey;
Pablo Dubois; Michael Foley; Eve Jackson; Alex Josephy; Ben Keatinge;
Janet Laugharne; Linda King; Robert Leach; Jane McLaughlin;
S Kimbrough McLendon; Sara McNeil; Michael Milburn; Sari Pauloma;
Jean Prior; Purbasha Roy; David Thompson; Natalie Wolf
TEIGNMOUTH POETRY FESTIVAL OPEN POETRY COMPETITION 2024
Any subject, 40 lines maximum
Prizes: 1st – £600, 2nd – £300, 3rd – £200
An additional £25 will be awarded to the top 3 commended poems
Judge: Malika Booker
Postal Entries £5.00 for one poem; £3.00 each for additional poems
Poetry Teignmouth , C/O Virginia Griem, 12 Little Hayes, Kingsteignton TQ12 3YP
Online Entries – £5.50 for one poem; £3.50 each for additional poems
Closing date: 31st January 2024
www.poetryteignmouth.com
Café Writers Open Poetry Competition 2023
Open for entries until November 30th
Martin Figura: sole judge; no sifting.
1st Prize: £1000
2nd £300; 3rd £200
Five Commended Prizes of £50
Norfolk Prize £100
Best poem from a permanent resident not winning another prize.
Zoom Prizewinning event: @ Café Writers on 11th March, 2024
Fee: £4; £10/3, then £2 per poem.
Free entry, 1 poem, to any UK resident
for whom the cost of entering would be prohibitive
Length: 40 lines
Café Writers, 85, Gertrude Rd, Norwich, NR3 4SG
Check website for full rules: www.cafewriters.co.uk
Fish Publishing Short Story Prize
Judge: Sarah Hall
Word Limit: 5000
Closes: 30 November
Results: 1 April 2024; anthology published: July 2024
Entry Fees: €20 (€12 subsequent entries)
Prizes:
1st: €3000 + 5 day Short Story Workshop at the West Cork Literary Festival
2nd: and3rd: €300
7 Honourable Mentions: €200 each
Top Ten 10 stories published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2024
Online writing courses in short story, flash fiction, poetry and memoir;
and full range of editorial services for writers
info@fishpublishing.com www.fishpublishing.com
January 5
@ Bradt Travel Guides & The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards
50th Anniversary
Unpublished writers
Three finalists invited to attend the prize-giving in London in early 2024
where the winner will be crowned New Travel Writer of the Year.
1st prize: five nights’ all-inclusive at Calabash Cove Resort & Spa on St Lucia.
The winner also receives a paid commission to write about their trip for Traveller magazine.
2 runners-ups: three Bradt guides of their choice.
All shortlisted pieces published on the Bradt website.
Fee: £15 Length: no mention
Theme: ‘Taking the risk’
Judges: Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Guides; Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Guides;
Hugh Brune, Commercial Director of Bradt Guides; Amy Sohanpaul, editor of Traveller Magazine; Jonathan Lorie, travel-writing trainer and author of The Travel Writer’s Way.
Travel Writing Competition, Bradt Guides, 31A High Street, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1BW
www.bradtguides.com/product/ntwoty-2024/
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
This quarterly open-themed competition for fiction up to 500 words:
closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December.
Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories
Prizes: £300, £200 and £100
Email: entry@flash500.com
Website: www.flash500.com
Flash 500 Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition
Annual competition closes 31st October 2023.
Entry fee: £10 for one novel, £18 for two novels, £26 for three novels
Prizes: £500 first prize, plus a runner’s up prize of £200
Email: entry@flash500.com
Website: www.flash500.com
Café Writers Open Poetry Competitionn 2023
Open for entries until November 30th
Martin Figura: sole judge; no sifting.
1st Prize: £1000
2nd £300; 3rd £200
Five Commended Prizes of £50
Norfolk Prize £100
Best poem from a permanent resident not winning another prize.
Zoom Prizewinning event: @ Café Writers on 11th March, 2024
Fee: £4; £10/3, then £2 per poem.
Free entry, 1 poem, to any UK resident
for whom the cost of entering would be prohibitive
Length: 40 lines
Café Writers, 85, Gertrude Rd, Norwich, NR3 4SG
Check website for full rules: www.cafewriters.co.uk
SWC Annual Open Short Story Competition 2023
Deadline: 31st October 2023
Chief Judge: John Maguire
No theme, original unpublished work only.
First Prize: £200, Second Prize: £100, Third Prize: £50
2000 words maximum
Entry fee is £3 per story or four stories for £10
Online and Postal entry available
5 Carrwood Park Southport, Merseyside,PR8 5FA
Full details and online entry at http://www.swconline.co.uk
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
