Adult (16+) competitions, listed by deadline. Inclusion in this list should not be seen as an endorsement of a competition. Always check deadline and submission guidelines and terms before entering. (For younger poets, The Poetry Society provides competition news on their young poetry network page).
2026
Feb 2026
1 Feb Latin Programme Poetry Prize V1 Theme: All Roads via Rome. Max 40 lines. £14 suggested donation1 Feb The Poetry Society Members Competition. Theme: Fairytales. Max 40 lines. Members only. Max 2 entries.- 2 Feb Keats-Shelley Poetry Prize Theme: Dystopia or Utopia. Max 30 lines. £10 per entry.
- 2 Feb Young Romantics Poetry Keats-Shelley Competition. Age 16-18 only. Theme: Dystopia or Utopia. Max 30 lines. Free.
- 14 Feb Candlestick Press Christmas Competition 2026 Theme: ‘Christmas party’. Max 35 lines, including title and stanza breaks. To enter, purchase a pamphlet from their website (£6.95 plus postage).
- 14 Feb Words in Watchet Poetry Competition Open theme, but restricted to West Country residents only (Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Avon). Max 40 lines. £4 (£2 subsequent poems. Max 4 poems)
- 14 Feb Valentines Poetry Competition. Opens on 1 Feb. Max 60 second video or max 150 words in writing. Free.
- 16 Feb Poetry Wales Award Competition Open. Max 70 lines. Max 5 entries.. £5 per poem. (Free to subscribers of Poetry Wales magazine)
- 19 Feb Tower Poetry Competition For those aged 16-19 in full-time secondary education only. (Not higher education). Theme: A riddle. Max 48 lines. 1 poem only. FREE?
- 23 Feb Arundel Literary Festival Competition. Open. Poetry and Flash Fiction. Max 40 lines. £5 per poem/fiction
- 27 Feb Never Such Innocence. Up to age 18 only. Theme: In someone else’s shoes. Free.
- 27 Feb Classical Association Verse and Voice Competition. Theme: see website for ‘inspiration objects’/prompts. Max 2 entries in verse or voice. Free?
- 28 Feb Inspiring Voices Poetry Festival competition. Up to age 25 only. Open. One submission per category. Max 40 lines (poetry) or 3 minutes. FREE.
28 Feb The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition [Children’s competition, but senior category is for 15-18 year olds, hence its inclusion in this list]. Theme: Happily ever after? Max 500 words. Free? - 28 Feb Greenwich Park Poetry competition. Up to age 18 only. Max 2 poems.
Mar 2026
- 8 Mar Statue for Ada Competition. Theme: change, protest and freedom. Max 20 lines. £5 (subsequent poems £3)
- 9 Mar Myslexia. Submission deadline for Showcase section. (Women writers) Theme: Maps. Max 40 lines.
- 20 Mar Verve Poem of the month competition. (Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Mar**) Optional theme: Speak now or forever regret it. £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
- 31 Mar South Downs Poetry Festival (Binsted Prize) Open. Max 40 lines. £5 (£4 for additional entries).
Apr 2026
- April (To be confirmed) London Magazine Poetry Prize 2026 (hyperlink is for 2025 details)
- 1 Apr Rialto Nature and Place competition Theme: any aspect of nature and place. Max 40 lines. £7 (£4 for subsequent poems).
- 4 Apr Artemesia Arts International Poetry Competition Open. Max 40 lines. Prefer no PDFs. £5 per poem.
- 8 Apr Brotherton Poetry Prize. Open. £15 per entry (up to 200 lines of poetry or five individual unpublished poems).
- 18 Apr Fosseway Writers Poetry Competition 2026 Theme: Ghost. Max 40 lines. £5.
- 20 Apr Verve Poem of the month competition. (Monthly competition – **Open from 1 Apr**) Optional theme: Remind/Rewind/Reshape. £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
- 26 Apr Charm Poetry Competition. Theme: warmth, wordplay, wit and whimsy. Max 32 lines. £5
- 30 Apr Indigo Dreams Spring Prize 2026 Open. Max 40 lines. £5 (£9 for 2, £12 for 3).
- 30 Apr Ver Poets Open Competition 2026 Open. Max 30 lines. £5 (3 poems for £12, £4 per poem thereafter)
May 2026
- 1 May Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize. Theme: joy. Max 500 words. £10 per poem.
- 5 May Creative Future Writers Award (For underrepresented writers – check eligibility on competition website). Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction. Max 50 lines. FREE.
- 25 May London Independent Story Competition (poetry). Theme: open. Max 40 lines. £9.50-£16.50 for one long poem up to 40 lines or 3 short poems. (Early bird entry fees are cheaper! See website)
- 25 May Matthew Lanyon Poetry Prize (Opens 30 March) Theme: ‘The Archaeology of Tomorrow’. Max 30 lines. Include bio in email. FREE.
- 29 May Wirral Poetry Festival Competition. (Competition opens on 1 Jan 2026). Theme: Open. Max 40 lines. £4 per poem/£10 for 3 (to be confirmed)
- 31 May Frogmore Poetry Prize. Open. Max 40 lines. £4
- 31 May The Bridport Prize. Open. Max 42 lines. £13 per poem.
- 31 May Poetry Book Awards . For poetry books produced by indie writers, self-published authors or books published by small, ‘truly independent’ presses. £40 per book.
June 2026
- 8 Jun Myslexia. Submission deadline for Showcase section. (Women writers). Theme: Gold. Max 40 lines.
- 28 Jun Welsh Poetry Competition (Opening 1st Feb)
July 2026
August 2026
- 31 Aug Superlative Lit Journal annual competition Theme: Growth. No line length restrictions found. £15 entry. (This is the Earlybird price – it might be even more if submitting later!)
NICE WEATHER FOR 
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