Poetry Competitions

Aesthetica Magazine. International poetry and short fiction competitions. Cash prizes and publication.

​

Aurora Poetry and Short Fiction Open Competition. A poetry and short-story competition with a special ‘Stonewood Press Regional Prize’ for writers from the East Midlands. Cash prizes. Entry fee.

​

Betjeman Poetry Prize. Themed contest for young people, aged 10 -13, living in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Cash prizes and more.

​

Bridport Prize. International short story, flash fiction and poetry competitions. Total prizes of £15,000. There is a special award for writers from Dorset.

​

Cafe Writers Open Poetry Competition. Cash prizes for short poems (up to 40 lines) with a special category for Norfolk residents.

​

Christopher Tower Poetry Competition. An annual themed contest open to young writers (16-19) in full or part-time education at a school, college or other educational institution (but not higher education) in the UK.

​

Cinnamon Press. Cash prizes for poems, flash fiction, short stories, novels and novellas. Entry fees.

​

Dream Quest One. An international annual poetry and prose competition that offers cash prizes. Entry fees.

​

Fish Publishing. International short story, flash fiction, poetry and memoir contests. Cash prizes, publication and more.

​

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. Poetry competition for young writers aged 11-17. Prizes include mentoring, a writing course, Poetry Society membership and books.

​

The Eric Gregory Awards. Awards to poets under the age of 30.

​

Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine. Annual contest for poetry on a medical theme. There are three categories: Open (international), NHS (open to NHS staff, students and others), and Young (14-18). Over £10,000 in prizes.

​

Kent & Sussex Poetry Society. International poetry contest with cash prizes.

​

Malahat Review. International short fiction, novella, and long poem competitions. Cash prize and publication.

​

Manchester Writing Competition. International competitions for short stories and poetry. Cash prizes up to £10,000.

​

The Somerset Maugham Awards. Awards given for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK and under the age of 35.

​

Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. A biennial prize of £1,000 for a distinctive first book of poetry in English published in Britain or Ireland.

​

Moth Magazine. International poetry competition. Cash prizes and publication.

​

National Poetry Competition. Run by the Poetry Society, this is one of the world’s biggest single poem competitions. Entry fees. Cash prizes.

​

Mslexia Magazine. International women’s short story, flash fiction, novel and poetry competitions. Cash prize and publication.

​

The Paul Cave Prize for Literature. Annual poetry prize with cash prize.

​

The Poetry Business, Poetry Book & Pamphlet Competition. International annual competition. Entrants submit a collection of 20-24 pages of poems. Cash prizes and the chance of publication. This contest incorporates the The Wordsworth Trust Single Poem Prize.

​

The Poetry Society. A list of the Society’s poetry competitions. Most are only open to members.

​

Prairie Fire Magazine Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award. Annual poetry competition. Paper submissions only and fees by cheque or money order. Cash prizes and publication.

​

Prism International. International annual competitions in creative non-fiction, short fiction, and poetry. Cash prizes and publication.

​

Sixfold Magazine. International quarterly short fiction and poetry competitions. Judging is by peer review. Cash prizes and publication.

​

Slipstream Poets. Annual poetry competition with cash prize. Additional prize for West Sussex entrants.

​

Strokestown International Poetry Festival. Annual international poetry contest with cash prizes.

​

The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. £10,000 awarded for a full-length published or self-published (in book or ebook formats) work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, by a British or Irish author aged 18-35 years.

​

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. An international poetry competition with a  $3,000 prize for a poem in any style and a $3,000 prize for a rhyming/traditional poem.

​

Wasafiri New Writing Prize. International annual contests for unpublished authors in poetry, short fiction and ’life writing’. Cash prizes and publication.

​

Wigtown Poetry Competition. Scotland’s international poetry prize, awarded in association with The Scottish Poetry Library. Dedicated categories for Scots Language and Gaelic. Cash prizes.

​

Writers Online. A wide range of short story and poetry competitions. Some contests are open only to subscribers. Cash prizes and publication.

​

The Yeovil Literary Prize. Annual international competitions for novels (first chapters and synopsis), short stories and poetry. Additional awards for authors in Somerset or Devon. Cash prizes.