UK Poetry Competitions

2026

Mar 2026

• 1 Mar Caldecott Festival Haiku Competition. Theme: ‘countryside’. Max 2 poems. FREE entry.
• 6 Mar Free Verse Prize Open. Max 40 lines, including title and blank lines. £5 (£4 for subsequent entries).
• 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.
• 11 Mar Mairtín Crawford Awards for Poetry and Short Story 2026 Open. 3-5 poem submission. Max 60 lines per poem. £10 for 3-5 poems (or a short story up to 2500 words).
• 12 Mar Litfest ‘Rights of nature’ Poetry Map competition. Theme: Rights of Nature. Max 40 lines. £3
• 13 Mar London Magazine Poetry Prize 2026. £12 (£6 for students or subsequent entries). Members one free entry.
• 15 Mar Inspiring Voices Festival competition. (Several age groups, max age 25). “Explore the stories, people, and landscapes behind England’s most inspiring heritage sites — and turn them into an original poetic response.” Poems can be previously published, as long as the poet has not published a full collection. Four categories: written word; spoken word; visual & multimedia; experimental & hybrid. Max one entry per category.
• 20 Mar Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Mar**) Optional theme: Remind/rewind/reshape. £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 27 Mar Red Shed Poetry Competition. Open. Max 40 lines. £3.50 first poem (Discount for postal entry and multiple entries).
• 29 Mar Surrey Writers Festival Competition. Theme: The perfect crime. Poetry (max ) and short fiction. Two categories: Youth prize (age 16-18; max 25 lines) and Undergraduate Prize (max 50 lines) for current undergraduate students at University of Surrey. Free (max 2 entries)
• 31 Mar South Downs Poetry Festival (Binsted Prize) Open. Max 40 lines. £5 (£4 for additional entries).

Apr 2026

• 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 £15 per entry (up to 200 lines of poetry or five individual unpublished poems).
• 12 Apr  Poetry Society Colour Challenge (age 5-25). Poem/video/audio file.
• 12 Apr Federation of Writers Scotland Annual Competition. Open. Poetry, Flash & Prose submissions in English, Scots & Scottish Gaelic.. Max 40 lines for poetry. £4 (3 for £10).
• 15 Apr Poetry Kit Easter Competition. Open. No line restriction. £3.50 (3 for  £8, 5 for £10)
• 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: ‘You Belong Here’. £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 23 Apr Perpendicular Poetry Prize “All forms of poetry, particularly absurdist and innovative styles”. Max 2 pages. Free?
• 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)
• 30 Apr Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition. Open. Max 50 lines. £5 per poem.

May 2026

• 1 May Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize. Theme: joy. Max 500 words. £10 per poem.
• 3 May Headway North Cumbria Carers Week Poetry Competition.  “People with an acquired brain injury are invited to write a poem, haiku or ditty that demonstrates their appreciation of their carers, whilst celebrating the positive impact that they have on their life.  Alternatively, the entry can be from a carer creating a poem from their perspective too”. Free.
• 5 May Creative Future Writers Award (For underrepresented writers – check eligibility on competition website). Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction. Max 50 lines. FREE.
• 20 May Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition ( **Open from 1 May**) Optional theme: £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 21 May Handwritersfestival Short Story and Poetry Competition Adult Poetry category theme: ‘The Coming of that Age’. Max 2 poems. No word limit stated for adult category. Free. [Note: format of website doesn’t seem to be very mobile friendly, so best to use a pc or laptop]
• 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 Gloucestershire Writers Network Competition. (Entrants must be 16+ and live, study or work in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire). Theme: Islands. Max 50 lines. £3.50 (£6 for 2, £8 for 3)
• 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.
• 31 May Whispering Wisdom Prize Poetry Competition. Open. Max 40 lines. £5. [A separate young person’s competition is available for under 18s here]
• 31 May Fiction Factory Poetry Competition. Open. Max 40 lines. £5 (£9 for 2, £12 for 3)
• 31 May Poetry Book Awards. “International, English language poetry book contest for self published writers, and small indie presses”. Includes Children’s book prize. £40

June 2026

• 1 Jun Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year competition. Open. Max 60 lines. Longlisted poems will be published in an anthology. £5.
• 1 Jun Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition Open. (There is also a separate category for resident of HP5). Max 40 lines. Up to 5 poems. £4.
• 8 Jun Myslexia. Submission deadline for Showcase section. (Women writers). Theme: Gold. Max 40 lines.
• 20 Jun Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Jun**) Optional theme: £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 28 Jun Welsh Poetry Competition (Opening 1st Feb)
• 30 Jun Wells Festival of Literature Open Poetry competition. (Opens 1 April) Open. Max 40 lines. 1.5 or double-spaced. £8
• 30 Jun Poetry London Prize. Open. Max 80 lines. £10 per poem (£5 for subscribers. Some free entries available for socio-economically disadvantaged poets.)
• 30 Jun International Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize. Theme: Journey. Max 40 lines. Free (1 entry per person only).

July 2026

• 1 Jul Magma Open Poetry Pamphlet Competition Submit 18-20 pages of poems, max 40 lines per poem. Poems may have been previously published in magazines or anthologies, but not in a pamphlet or collection. £22 (£16 for subscribers).
• 31 Jul Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 Open. Max 40 lines. Additional prize for Hampshire-based poet. £7 (£5 for subsequent poem; some free entries available for University of Winchester students)
• 31 Jul Wells Festival of Literature Young Poets Competition (Opens 1 April) (age 16-22)

August 2026

• August Bournemouth Writing Prize. Details to be confirmed.
• 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!)

September 2026

• Ledbury Poetry Festival Competition. Details for 2026 not yet available, but competition usually opens in mid-late July and has a deadline in September. Keep an eye on this page or the Ledbury Poetry Facebook page.

November 2026

December 2026