UK Poetry Competitions

2026

May 2026

• 1 May Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize. Theme: joy. Max 500 words. £10 per poem.
• 1 May Morecambe Poetry Festival Anthology submission Theme: Entertainers and/or Anniversaries. Max 40 lines. Free. (Max one poem per poet, or a series of short poems, up to a max of 40 lines).
• 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.
• 15 May St Mary’s Arts Festival Poetry Competition. Theme: ‘Peace’. Max 40 lines. Send up to 3 poems. Free.
• 20 May Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition ( **Open from 1 May**) Optional theme: Vivacity (Alive and showing it). £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 21 May Handfwritersfestival (Hammersmith and Fulham) 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 Kirkstall Art Trail Poetry Competition Open. Includes a category for writers with a Leeds (LS) postcode. Max 40 lines. £4.
• 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
• 31 May Yeoville Literary Prize Lots of categories including Novel, Short Story, Poetry and Local Writer (Western Gazette region). Poetry: Open. max 40 lines. £8.
• 31 May Stainsby Festival National Poetry Competition Open. Poems should be ‘accessible’. Max 42 lines. £6 (£10 for 2). Overall winner will be invited to a paid residency at the 2027 festival. (Flagging this up for the introverts among us).

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.
• 14 Jun Chryss Morrison Prize for Poetry (Frome Festival) Open. Max 40 lines. UK-based writers only. Includes a category for writers living within 5 miles of Frome. £5.
• 15 Jun Katrina Ellis Memorial Prize for Limericks. Open. 5 lines. £3 per limerick (£8 for 4)
• 19 Kim Ways of Listening. Theme: ‘What does listening mean to you?’ Free.
• 20 Jun Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Jun**) Optional theme: Spirit (or whatever you call it). £3 per poem/£6 for 3 poems.
• 26 Jun Black in White Competition Theme: 2 categories – Workplace racism; Childhood racism. No length restriction. £2.
• 28 Jun Welsh Poetry Competition (Opening 1st Feb)
• 30 Jun Wells Festival of Literature Open Poetry competition. 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).
• 15 Jul The Shelley Memorial Poetry Competition. Theme: ‘Liberty’. Max 40 lines. Additional prize for Sussex-based poet. £5.
• 20 Jul Verve Poem of the month competition. Monthly competition -( **Open from 1 Jul**) Optional theme: Too much (Oomph gone rogue). £3 (£6 for 3 poems)
• 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

• 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).
• 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 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)

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.
• 6 Sep Cheltenham Poetry Festival international poetry competition Open. Max 50 lines. £4 (£10 for 3, £15 for 5).
• 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).
  Sound. Lyric. Cultural memory. Borrow, respond, distort.

October 2026

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)

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).