UK Poetry Competitions

2026

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).
• 1 Jul Chaotic Creators Magazine Poetry Contest Open. Max 42 lines. £3 (£10 for 5 poems). Low income writers can apply for free entry via email.
• 15 Jul The Shelley Memorial Poetry Competition. Theme: ‘Liberty’. Max 40 lines. Additional prize for Sussex-based poet. £5.
• 15 Jul New Writers Competition 2026 Open. Max 42 lines. £10 (£18 for 2, £26 for 3).
• 20 Jul Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition. Optional theme for July: Too much (Oomph gone rogue). £3 (£6 for 3 poems)
• 27 Jul Ledbury Poetry Competition Open. Max 40 lines. £6 per poem.
• 29 Jul Green Dragon Guild of London Prize. Theme: ‘chimeras’. Open to UK‑based fantasy or historical‑fiction authors or poets writing original lyrics suitable for musical setting. Previously published or unpublished works may be entered. Works should be an appropriate length for setting to approximately 3 minutes of music. Free.
• 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 (age 16-22)
• 31 Jul Wales Haiku Journal Summer Competition Open. “Traditional, experimental, monoku, and senryu are all welcome”. £5 up to 5 haiku; £9 up to 10 haiku (discounts for members)
• 31 Jul Overton Poetry Prize. Theme: a sequence of poems in memory of Professor Bill Overton (1946-2012) (Entries can be from anywhere in the world). Max 300 lines. £12.50.
• 31 Jul Mills Archive Trust. Theme: Milling. Max 40 lines £5 (Under 24s £3; under 18s free).

August 2026

• 15 Aug Bournemouth Writing Prize. Open. Up to 3 poems. Max 30 lines. £8 until 31 May, then £10.
• 20 Aug Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Aug**) Optional theme: Get up and go (no waiting around). £3 (£6 for 3 poems).
• 22 Aug Clevedon Lit Fest Poetry Award. Open. (Sans 12pt. font, 1.5 line spacing). Max 40 lines. £6.
• 30 Aug – 6 Sep The Booby Prize for Poetry. (See also here). Write up to 40 lines in 7 days. The competition will run from 23:00 hrs UK time on a Sunday night for 7 days, to 23:00 hrs UK Time the following Sunday night. All entrants will receive an email at the competition start time. There will be a selection of 3 prompts to choose from in three categories. £10 entry.
• 31 Aug Enfield Poets Poetry Competition. Open. Max 50 lines. £4 (£10 for 3).
• 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!)
• 31 Aug Oxford Poetry Prize 2026 Open. Max 60 lines. £10 (Some free entries available to low-income poets on a first come-first served basis)
• 31 Aug Hastings Book Festival Competition. Open. Max 40 lines. There is an additional prize for writers living in East or West Sussex. £9 (£17 for 2, £24 for 3).

September 2026

• 6 Sep Cheltenham Poetry Festival international poetry competition Open. Max 50 lines. £4 (£10 for 3, £15 for 5).
• 8 Sep Aesthetica Creative Writing Award (poetry and fiction). Open, but particularly interested in works that ‘reflect upon our ever changing world’. Max 40 lines. £12.
• 14 Sep Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize Theme: ‘Nature’s wisdom and healing’. 2000 words max. (Submissions can be poems, personal narratives, articles, magical stories, philosophical reflections or essays). £10.36 per submission.
• 20 Sep Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Sep**) Optional theme: The Verve (The band) £3 (£6 for 3 poems).
• 30 Sep Moth Nature Writing Prize. Theme: the prize is awarded to works which best ‘combine exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writers’ relationship with the natural world’. Single poem (any length – not a collection) or piece of prose up to 4000 words. 16 Euros.
• 30 Sep Big Dithering Chaps Chapbook competition. Submit a 10-page sample of poems “along with a 200-word treatment explaining the vision” behind the collection, (which should be 30-60 pages in total). £10.
• 30 Sep The Canterbury Christ Church University Poetry Prize (Save As). Theme: ‘Lines of communication’ . Max 60 lines. £4 (3 for £10). [Short story competition also available on the same theme. Max 3500 words, £5 per story, 3 for £12].
• 30 Sep Hammond House International Literary Prize. (Includes poetry, short story, script and song writing).Theme: ‘Destiny’. Max 40 lines. £10 (£5 for gold members). Feedback option available.

October 2026

• 4 Oct The New Cockney Poets and Cable Street competition. Themes (2): (1) Modern Cockney identities & Cockney Diaspora and (2) Unity & Comradeship of East End Communities (in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street). Max 40 lines. Free (?)
• 10 Oct Worlds into Words Poetry Competition. Theme: ‘worlds into words’. Max 40 lines. £5 (£1 for under 18s; free for those with lived experience as a refugee)
• 31 Oct Bedford Writing Competition Open. Max 40 lines. More info here. Additional prize for Bedford residents. £8.50 (3 for £17)

November 2026

• 29 Nov – 6 Dec The Booby Prize for Poetry (See also here). Write up to 40 lines in 7 days. The competition will run from 23:00 hrs UK time on a Sunday night for 7 days, to 23:00 hrs UK Time the following Sunday night. All entrants will receive an email at the competition start time. There will be a selection of 3 prompts to choose from in three categories. £10 entry.

December 2026

20 Dec Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Dec**) Optional theme: Party Tricks (Show us). £3 (£6 for 3)

2027

January 2027

• 20 Jan Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Jan**) Optional theme: Verba (Words that do something). £3 (£6 for 3)

February 2027

• 20 Feb Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Feb **) Optional theme: Verve (Try and define it). £3 (£6 for 3).

March 2027

• 20 Mar Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Mar**) Optional theme: No Verve (When nothing catches). £3 (£6 for 3).

April 2027

May 2027