Entering the National Poetry Competition
Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the answers to common questions entrants have about the competition. Please only contact us after you have checked to see if your question has already been answered here.

Poems

Do line spaces between stanzas count as part of the 40 line limit? What about titles and dedications?
Can I make changes after my poem has been submitted?
I accidentally left my name or contact details on my entry, will my poem be disqualified?
Are simultaneous submissions allowed?
How will you know which poems are mine if I don’t write my name on them?
If my poem is a few more than 40 lines, will it be disqualified?
Can I use a pen name?
Must entries be unpublished?
Does having a poem on my own blog count as website publication?
Can I send the same poem that I entered in last year’s competition?
If I send a poem written in a language other than English, and then an English translation, does the translation count as additional lines?
Can I enter a revision of my first poem as a second entry?
I accidentally submitted the wrong poem. Can I switch it?
Can you check you received my poem?
Can you check that the poem I entered is the one I intended to enter?
Since entering my poem to the National Poetry Competition my poem has won another competition / been published elsewhere. What should I do?
Reading the poems that have previously won or been commended in the competition, I notice a lack of established poetic forms (sonnets, villanelle, roundel etc.) represented - why is this?

Judging

When will the competition winners be announced?
Some competitions sift the entries before they send them to the judges. Will the judges of the National Poetry Competition definitely see my poem?

Entering By Post

I sent my postal entry very close to the deadline, what if it doesn’t reach you in time?
I have already entered once, paying £6. Does this mean I can enter again paying only £3?
I am entering by post and plan to send a cheque. Can I pay in my own nation’s currency, or does it have to be in sterling?
Can I pay with cash?

Entering Online

I have already entered once, paying £6. Does this mean I can enter again paying only £3?
I entered online and accidentally sent a document containing more than one poem – what will happen?
As a member entering online, how do I use my free entry for the second poem?
I am entering online. Do I need an entry form / to post you anything?
I am entering online and would like to become a member. When paying for submissions to the competition and membership, how do I get my second poem free?

Do line spaces between stanzas count as part of the 40 line limit? What about titles and dedications?

The forty line limit applies only to the written lines of the poem, not the lines between stanzas. Titles and dedications are not counted as lines either.

Can I make changes after my poem has been submitted?

Changes cannot be made to poems after they have been submitted, and it states this in the rules. If you want to submit a more recent version of your poem please send it as a separate entry. Both versions will then be seen by the judges.

I accidentally left my name or contact details on my entry, will my poem be disqualified?

Don't worry, this happens from time to time. Your name / contact details will be removed from the poem by administrative staff before the entries are sent to the judges.

Are simultaneous submissions allowed?

You may submit your poem to other competitions or publications at the same time you submit it to the National Poetry Competition on the understanding that if you win our competition you will immediately withdraw it from elsewhere. However, to avoid complications, we would strongly recommend you do not do this. If your poem wins another competition or is published before our winners have been announced, please let us know (refunds will not be made).

How will you know which poems are mine if I don’t write my name on them?

Poems are coded by our administrative staff so that they can be judged as anonymous works and then married back to your entry form once the judges have made their decision.

If my poem is a few more than 40 lines, will it be disqualified?

Yes. Poems longer than forty lines are not eligible to win the National Poetry Competition.

Can I use a pen name?

You may, but remember the judges are judging this competition anonymously anyway. When the winners are selected we will check how they would like to be named when the poems are published in Poetry Review, and how they would like to be referred to in press releases and on the Poetry Society website.

Must entries be unpublished?

Yes. Poems that have already been published are not eligible to win the National Poetry Competition.

Does having a poem on my own blog count as website publication?

Yes.

Can I send the same poem that I entered in last year’s competition?

Yes.

If I send a poem written in a language other than English, and then an English translation, does the translation count as additional lines?

This competition is for poems written in English. Any submissions written in languages other than English will be disqualified. If a submission includes the same poem written in two languages, only the English version will be sent to the judges. 

Can I enter a revision of my first poem as a second entry?

Yes.

I accidentally submitted the wrong poem. Can I switch it?

No. In the rules we state that alterations cannot be made to poems once they have been submitted. This counts as an alteration. If you want the judges to consider another poem, please send it as a new entry.

Can you check you received my poem?

If you want confirmation of a postal entry please include an SAE with your poem and entry form, which we will post back to you. Online entries will be confirmed by email shortly after you submit. There is nothing more that Poetry Society staff can do, please do not telephone or email the office to ask if your entry has arrived: we generally receive over ten thousand poems and cannot go through to see if we have received a specific entrant’s work.

Can you check that the poem I entered is the one I intended to enter?

We receive over ten thousand poems each year and cannot go through these to find a specific entrant’s work.

Since entering my poem to the National Poetry Competition my poem has won another competition / been published elsewhere. What should I do?

Congratulations! Please contact us to let us know (refunds cannot be made).

Reading the poems that have previously won or been commended in the competition, I notice a lack of established poetic forms (sonnets, villanelle, roundel etc.) represented - why is this?

This is due to the fact that, of the large numbers of poems that are entered to the competition, a very, very small fraction of them are written strictly to an established form. However, the competition welcomes all entries, whatever their structure, form or rhyme scheme.

When will the competition winners be announced?

Competition winners are usually announced in the spring. Please check back to the website once the competition has closed for further details / specific dates.

Some competitions sift the entries before they send them to the judges. Will the judges of the National Poetry Competition definitely see my poem?

Yes. Unlike many poetry competitions, we do not implement a sifting / elimination round. Each entry is seen by at least two of the judges.

I sent my postal entry very close to the deadline, what if it doesn’t reach you in time?

Entries postmarked on the date of the deadline will be accepted.

I have already entered once, paying £6. Does this mean I can enter again paying only £3?

You must enter your poems in one transaction if you want to take advantage of the cheaper price for additional entries. However, you can always enter more poems, but the first one in each ‘batch’ will always cost £6.

I am entering by post and plan to send a cheque. Can I pay in my own nation’s currency, or does it have to be in sterling?

You must pay in £ sterling. Where payment is made in another currency we will endeavour to contact the entrant to try and secure payment. However, the competition organisers reserve the right to remove entries from the competition where correct payment has not been made.

Can I pay with cash?

We do not accept payment in cash. Please do not send cash in the post. Cheque, card, postal or money order payments only.

I have already entered once, paying £6. Does this mean I can enter again paying only £3?

You must enter your poems in one transaction if you want to take advantage of the cheaper price for additional entries. However, you can always enter more poems, but the first one in each ‘batch’ will always cost £6.

I entered online and accidentally sent a document containing more than one poem – what will happen?

Only the first poem in the document will be accepted. If you want to enter more poems, please send them as a separate entry.

As a member entering online, how do I use my free entry for the second poem?

You must use this at the same time as you submit your first entry. Your second poem will be free, provided you are entering two poems. If you have already entered once at £6 and completed the transaction, your next entry will cost £6 – however, you can still get your second poem free if you enter two the second time around.

I am entering online. Do I need an entry form / to post you anything?

As you go through the entry process online, the website will ask you for all of the information we will need in the event that your poem wins (name, address, telephone number etc.). There is no need to submit a postal entry form at the same time. Please do not enter the same poems online and by post, or send postal copies of entries made online – this is unnecessary and tends to lead to confusion.

I am entering online and would like to become a member. When paying for submissions to the competition and membership, how do I get my second poem free?

You must add both a membership and at least two competition entries to your basket. We recommend adding the membership first. Proceed to the competition section of the website before completing the transaction.