Competition
Open
7w left
Open globally
National Poetry Competition 2026
The Poetry Society, United Kingdom
Starting an application unlocks tasks, requirements, notes, and deadline reminders.
Funding amount
£5,000 — First Prize
£3,000 — Second Prize
£2,000 — Third Prize
£500 — Commendation prizes.
Entry Fee:
£9 — first poem
£6 — each subsequent poem
Poetry Society members receive one free second poem when entering two poems in the same submission.
Deadline
October 31, 2026
Level
Mid Career
Early Career
Other
What's covered
Cash Award
Publication
Competition
About this opportunity
The National Poetry Competition is an annual international poetry competition run by The Poetry Society since 1978. It is one of the UK's major competitions for a single unpublished poem, welcoming poets at every stage of their careers. The 2026 competition is judged by Niall Campbell, Malika Booker and Luke Kennard.
Requirements
- Be 18 years or older at the time of entry.
- International entries are welcome.
- Submit an original poem written in English.
- The poem must have a title.
- The poem must not exceed 40 lines, excluding the title, dedications and blank lines.
- The poem may be on any subject or theme.
- Entries are judged anonymously; the poet's name must not appear on the poem.
- The poem must be unpublished.
- It must not have been published online, self-published, broadcast, posted on social media or featured among the winners of another competition before 31 March 2027.
- AI-generated work is strictly prohibited; AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini may not be used in any part of creating the poem.
- There is no limit on the number of entries an individual can submit.