A comprehensive list of world-wide competitions is available to NZPS members on the members-only pages of this website.

For haiku and related forms, check out the haiku competition pages at http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/haikunews/competitions 

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Good advice:

Nervous about entering a poetry competition? Please feel free to read the advice at Writers' Services:
http://www.writersservices.com/services/s_entering_competitions.htm
and Winning Writers: http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/avoid/av_signs.php

August

The Manchester Poetry Prize (UK)

Deadline: 5pm, 1 August
Open to writers (over 16 years of age) internationally, with a cash prize of £10,000 to the writer of the best portfolio of poems submitted. Entrants are asked to submit a portfolio of poetry (minimum 3 - maximum 5 poems), the total length not exceeding 120 lines. They can be on any subject, but must be new work and not published elsewhere. One portfolio only per entrant. Entry fee is £15, and can be paid on-line or by credit card.

Entrants between 18 and 25 years can also be considered for the Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award, with a £2,000 prize, or a fees-only study bursary for a creative writing course at Manchester University (subject to conditions).

Judges: Gillian Clarke, Imtiaz Dharker, and Carol Ann Duffy.

See website: www.manchesterwritingcompetition.co.uk for entry conditions and to enter on-line.

Or send a SSAE to the National Coordinator, NZPS, PO Box 5283, Wellington 6145, for an entry form, which has the competition rules included.

5th Bravado International Poetry Competition

Deadline: 31 August
Bravado offers 13 prizes - rare for a poetry competition: $500 for 1st, $250 for 2nd, $100 for 3rd, and 10 Highly Commended awards of $50 each.

Judge: Tim Upperton (who was for a time poetry editor at Bravado) is himself a prizewinning poet, and teaches creative writing and 20th century literature at Massey University. He has published poetry and fiction in magazines as diverse as Sport, Takahe, North & South, Dreamcatcher (UK) and The Listener and Agni (US).

Interviewed by Bryan Walpert, who succeeded him as poetry editor, Tim had this to say about what he would be looking for in a prizewinning poem: "Briefly, the thing I least expect - the effect that catches at the heart, or takes my breath away. I want to be moved, and in order to be moved, I have to be ambushed, surprised, disarmed."

For details or an entry form, e-mail bravadoinfo@bravado.co.nz or send a SSAE to:
Bravado
PO Box 13 533
Central Tauranga 3141.

September

Takahe Poetry Competition

Closing Date: 30 September 2008
$5 per poem entry fee.
Judge: Michael Harlow, Poet and Editor.
Results will be posted in December 2008 and published in the December 2008 issue of Takahe
Prizes: 1st: NZ$250; 2nd: NZ$100; 3rd: one year's subscription to Takahe; 4th: one year's subscription to Takahe. 1st and 2nd prize winners will also receive a year's NZ Book Council membership. The competition rules and entry form are on the website, at: http://www.takahemagazine.ne1.net/
Post entries to: Takahe Collective Trust, Box 13-335, Christchurch 8141, New Zealand.

November

Prose and Poetry Prizes 2008
from The New Writer magazine

Closing date 30 November 2008
Now in its twelfth year, one of the major annual international competitions for short stories, novellas, single poems, poetry collections, essays and articles; offers cash prizes as well as publication for the prize-winning writers in The Collection, special edition of The New Writer magazine each July (back copies available from website).

Single Poems and Collections - single poems up to 40 lines and collections of between 6 - 10 poems. Single poem entries must be previously unpublished; previously published poems can be included as part of a collection. Collection: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Single: 1st prize £100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50. Entry fee £5 for up to 2 single poems (TNW subscribers may enter 4 single poems for the same fee) and £12 per collection.

All work should be clearly typed on one side of white A4 paper and paperclipped. Entrants may make as many submissions as they wish but please include your name, address, title of entry, word count and category on a separate cover sheet with every entry. Preliminary judging will be carried out by The New Writer editorial board with guest judges making the final selection so there should be no identifying marks on the entries.

Further information including guidelines and entry fees at http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizes.htm

Writers can enter online at our secure credit card server at http://www.thenewwriter.com/entryform.htm

The entry form can also be downloaded from the website and sent in the post with your entry.

Last year's winners are listed at http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizewinners.htm

 

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