- Rules of the Competition
- Read about the winners of the 2008 competition
- Join the Poetry Society
- The Last 30 year of National Poetry Competition winners
A winning tip
Judges past and present all agree: to give yourself a better chance to write a winning poem, you need to read other poets. A good place to find out all that's happening on the contemporary poetry scene is the Poetry Review
Sponsorship
Interested in sponsoring the National Poetry Competition? Click here.
National Poetry Competition 2009
is now open for entries!
Christopher James, the winner of last year's National Poetry Competition, will be reading with Fred D'Aguiar at the Ledbury Poetry Festival on July 12 at 12.45 Find out more
In 1983, a then relatively unknown poet, Carol Ann Duffy, won the National Poetry Competition with her poem 'Whoever She was'.
Twenty-six years later she is now the Poet Laureate.
First Prize £5000
Second prize £1000
Third Prize £500
Deadline: Saturday 31 October 2009
The winners will be published in Poetry Review, on the Poetry
Society website, in Aesthetica Magazine and also get the chance to
read at Ledbury Poetry Festival.
Judges
 Daljit Nagra |
 Ruth Padel |
How to Enter
You can enter the competition online, download an entry form,
or send a SAE to Competition Organiser (web), 22 Betterton Street, London WC2H 9BX. Please note if you are paying by cheque, please print your address and phone number on the back of the cheque.
Media Partner
.jpg)
Artwork
Our commissioned artwork for the National Poetry Competition 2009: the reading man is made out of the winning poems of 2008.
Artist: Tori Flower
Disclaimer | Credits