Accepting entries!

The National Poetry Competition is currently accepting entries. Before entering please be sure to read the rules, and if you have any questions please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions.


The closing date is 31 October 2013 (midnight, UK time). If you would rather enter by post,
print a postal entry form [PDF].

Prizes

First Prize: £5000
Second Prize: £2000
Third Prize: £1000
Seven Commendations: £100

The top-three winning poems will be published in Poetry Review. The winner is also invited to read at the Ledbury Poetry Festival in July 2014. Up to 150 entrants will also be offered a discount on selected activities from the Poetry School. Winning and commended poems will be published on the Poetry Society website when the competition prizes are announced in spring 2014.

Judges

The judges of the 2013 National Poetry Competition are: Julia Copus, Matthew Sweeney and Jane Yeh. The National Poetry Competition is an award for individual poems that are previously unpublished. Each entry remains anonymous throughout the judging process.

Entry fees

£6 for your first poem
£3.50 for each subsequent entry in the same submission.
FREE second entry for Poetry Society members (including those joining now).

About the National Poetry Competition

Established in 1978, the Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious poetry contests. Winners include both established and emerging poets, and for many the prize has proved an important career milestone. Win, and add your name to a roll-call that includes the current UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Tony Harrison, Ruth Padel, Philip Gross and Jo Shapcott. Read poems by previous winners of the National Poetry Competition.

Visit the website:  http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/