Updated September 2026
Competitions 2026
A prize will not make you a poet. It can, however, make a finished poem travel, pay a bill, and give a stranger a reason to read you with attention. Enter rarely, with your best work, after you have read the rules twice.
How this list is kept
Competitions move. Deadlines slip. Judges change. This page is reviewed every January for the new calendar year, then patched when major windows open or close. It was last updated in September 2026. Always click through to the organiser before you pay a fee — their site is the only authority.
Right now, in September 2026, the National Poetry Competition is the headline open window (closes 31 October). Bridport’s 2026 round has closed; the next cycle is due to open on 15 November. Foyle Young Poets 2026 has closed and typically returns in spring.
Before you enter
- Unpublished usually means unpublished anywhere, including blogs and Instagram. Check.
- Anonymous entry is common: your name should not appear on the poem file.
- Line limits count titles and epigraphs differently at different houses. Count as they count.
- Do not send a first draft. A competition is a terrible workshop.
- Budget the fees. Three well-chosen entries beat twelve panicked ones.
- National Poetry CompetitionOpen now
- Prize
- £5,000 / £3,000 / £2,000
- Fee
- £9 first poem, £6 thereafter
- Deadline
- 2026-10-31
- Eligibility
- Age 18+, worldwide, unpublished poem up to 40 lines
Run by The Poetry Society since 1978. 2026 judges: Niall Campbell, Malika Booker and Luke Kennard. Poetry Society members receive a free second poem in their first submission.
- Bridport Prize — Poetry (2027 cycle)Opens soon
- Prize
- £5,000 first prize (2026 rates)
- Fee
- Typically £13 per poem
- Opens
- 2026-11-15
- Eligibility
- Age 16+, worldwide, unpublished, max 42 lines
The 2026 prize closed on 31 May 2026. The 2027 competition opens on 15 November 2026. Top three poems are entered for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem.
- Foyle Young Poets of the Year AwardAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- 100 winners; mentoring for the top 15
- Fee
- Free
- Deadline
- 2026-07-31
- Eligibility
- Ages 11–17 on the closing date, worldwide
The 2026 award (judges John McAuliffe and Rachel Long) closed on 31 July. It typically reopens in the spring. UK entrants may send up to three poems; international entrants one. Watch foyleyoungpoets.org for the 2027 window.
- Poetry London PrizeAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Major single-poem prize (varies by year)
- Fee
- See site
- Eligibility
- Unpublished single poem; check current rules
The 2026 prize, judged by Seán Hewitt, is closed. Winners are due by the end of September 2026. The prize usually returns annually — join their mailing list.
- Prize
- £250 plus pamphlet publication and ten author copies
- Fee
- See site
- Eligibility
- Pamphlet manuscript; check current guidelines
Open as of late 2026. The winner is invited to launch at Poetry London’s Spring 2027 readings. Confirm the closing date on their opportunities page before submitting.
- Forward Prizes for PoetryAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Best Collection, Best First Collection, Best Single Poem
- Fee
- Publisher / journal submission
- Eligibility
- Published collections and poems in the eligibility window
Not an open unpublished contest. Poets reach the Forward list through a published book or through magazines (and through Bridport’s top three). Essential calendar date for the UK scene.
- T. S. Eliot PrizeAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- £25,000 to the winning collection
- Fee
- Publisher submission
- Eligibility
- First editions of new collections published in the UK/Ireland in the prize year
The leading UK prize for a published collection. Poets do not enter directly — publishers submit. Aim your manuscript at a press first.
- Eric Gregory AwardsAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Shared pot for poets under 30
- Fee
- See Society of Authors
- Eligibility
- Poets under 30; a selection of poems rather than a single piece
The classic early-career award. A short collection (not one poem) is required. Watch the Society of Authors site each autumn/winter for the next round.
- Michael Marks Awards for Poetry PamphletsAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Awards for pamphlet, publisher, illustration and more
- Fee
- Publisher / poet submission of a published pamphlet
- Eligibility
- Pamphlets published in the UK in the eligibility year
The place pamphlet culture is taken seriously. Useful even if you are still aiming at a first pamphlet press.
- Ledbury Poetry CompetitionAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Festival prizes; young poets perform at the festival
- Fee
- Varies; youth categories often free
- Eligibility
- Check current year — adult and young poet strands
The adult festival competition typically opens mid-to-late summer with a September deadline. The 2026 Young Poets Competition (theme: In My Imagination) closed 7 May 2026.
- Cheltenham Poetry Festival International CompetitionAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- See festival site
- Fee
- Typically £4 / £10 for three / £15 for five
- Deadline
- 2026-09-06
- Eligibility
- Open, max 50 lines
The 2026 deadline was 6 September. Watch the festival site for the 2027 round.
- Magma Poetry CompetitionAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Judge’s prize plus Magma editors’ prizes
- Fee
- See Magma
- Eligibility
- Unpublished poems; often a line-limit and a judge of the year
A respected magazine competition, usually with a well-known judge. Dates move — check Magma’s site rather than last year’s flyer.
- The Poetry Society — various members’ competitionsAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Publication, small cash prizes, National Poetry Competition entry
- Fee
- Often included with membership
- Eligibility
- Varies; Stanza competitions and members’ poems
Membership unlocks a calendar of smaller contests and a free second NPC entry. Worth it if you are entering seriously this year.
- Stephen Spender Prize for poetry in translationAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- £1,000 top prize (youth categories also run)
- Fee
- See Spender Trust
- Eligibility
- Translate a poem from any language into English; youth and adult strands
The rare major prize where translation is the art. Youth categories (U14, U16, U18) are a superb way into the art for bilingual students.
- Keats-Shelley PrizeAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Poetry and essay prizes honouring the Romantics
- Fee
- See Keats-Shelley Memorial Association
- Eligibility
- Usually a set theme related to the Romantic poets
A themed annual prize. Read the year’s brief carefully — off-theme brilliance is still off-theme.
- Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and MedicineAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- NHS, open international and young poet awards
- Fee
- See Hippocrates initiative
- Eligibility
- Poems on a medical theme; open and health-professional categories
If you write from a clinic, a ward, a diagnosis or a caring role, this is the natural home. Dates are announced each year.
- Mslexia Poetry CompetitionAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Cash prize plus publication
- Fee
- See Mslexia
- Eligibility
- Women and non-binary writers (check current wording)
One of the UK’s most visible prizes for women who write. Usually an autumn deadline — confirm on the Mslexia competitions page.
- Nero Book Awards (poetry)Annual — check dates
- Prize
- Category awards including poetry
- Fee
- Publisher submission
- Eligibility
- Published books in the UK
Successor energy to the old Costa awards. Poets reach it through a published collection, not a single unpublished poem.
- Troubadour International Poetry PrizeAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Substantial cash prizes plus a London reading
- Fee
- See Coffee-House Poetry
- Eligibility
- Unpublished poems; often a late-autumn deadline
A long-running prize attached to the Troubadour coffee-house readings in London. Typically opens towards the end of the year.
- Café Writers Open Poetry CompetitionAnnual — check dates
- Prize
- Cash prizes and a Norfolk reading
- Fee
- Modest per-poem fee
- Eligibility
- Open; check line limit
A friendly, well-run regional prize with national reach. Often closes in November.
Not listed: dozens of excellent regional and themed prizes. If you run one and want it considered for the 2027 review, the criterion is simple — published rules, a named judge or board, and a track record of paying or publishing winners.