New Zealand Poetry Society Te Hunga Tito Ruri o Aotearoa
Competition Deadlines
A comprehensive list of world-wide competitions is available to NZPS members on the members-only pages of this website.
Non-members might like to subscribe to Kudos, a UK-based competition listing resource at www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com
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
September
Liverpool Lennon Poet Competition (UK)
Closing date: 10 September.
In October/November Liverpool is celebrating the life of John Lennon, who would have been seventy this year, with a series of events including a free to enter competition, run by The Beatles Story in Liverpool - all poems must relate to John Lennon. Free entry, and up to £1000.00 in prizes - Judged by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
Categories:
1. Performance poet (over 17yrs): up to 3 poems - max 3 minutes each. For selection e-mail one sample poem (attachments not accepted). Prizes: 1st £1000.00; 2nd £250.00; 3rd £100.00
Enter by sending poem clearly stating 'performance poet' to poetry@beatlesstory.com
2. Paper poet - entries via email only (attachments not accepted). Prizes: 1st £100.00; 2nd £50.00; 3rd £25.00.
Enter by sending email poem to poetry@beatlesstory.com
Further details on www.beatlesstory.com
Re-Draft (for teenage writers)
Deadline: 30 September
The 10th Re-Draft competition for teenage writers is hotting up with the 30 September deadline fast approaching. Information and posters have been distributed to schools, universities, polytechnics and public libraries nationwide, and entries are already pouring into the mailbox of competition organiser The School for Young Writers.
Competition judges Tessa Duder and James Norcliffe will pick the best entries for publication in this year's Re-Draft book. There are usually upwards of 40 "winners" each year.
*Entry is free. *Publication is the prize. *Each entrant will be personally advised of the results. *Winners receive a free copy of the book in which their work appears.
Participants may submit up to three entries with no restrictions on genre, subject matter, style or diction. Except that entries must be suitable for a collection of poetry and prose, there are no length restrictions. Re-Draft is for teenagers to write about the things that interest teenagers in ways that they feel are appropriate.
The entry form for 2010 may be photocopied from the back of Fishing for Birds, the 9th book in the Re-Draft series, which is readily available in libraries and can be ordered from any bookseller or from the School for Young Writers.
For assistance or further information, visit the School for Young Writers website: http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org
The Re-Draft poster can be seen at: http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/redraft/poster2010.php
Email enquiries to Glyn Strange: young.writers@xtra.co.nz
Takahe Poetry Competition
Deadline: must be received by 30 September
Entry Fee: $5 per poem; Judge: James Norcliffe. First Prize: $250; Second Prize: $100. Two runners up will receive one year's free subscription to Takahe.
Unpublished poems up to 50 lines long on any theme will be accepted. Entry forms can be downloaded from the website: www.takahe.org.nz
Each poem should be printed on one side of A4 and posted to: Takahe Poetry Competition 2010, PO Box 13-335, Christchurch 8141, New Zealand.
No email entries, please. Results will be published in Takahe 71 (December) 2010.
The 8th annual Tom Howard Poetry Contest (USA)
Closing Date: 30 September
First Prize: $3,000. Second: $1,000. Third: $400. Fourth: $250. Plus six Most Highly Commended Awards of $150 each.
Entries may be submitted online at http://winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/tp_guidelines.php Visit the site for email, PayPal and snail mail options. Entry fees are US$7 for every 25 lines (or part thereof), regardless of whether the lines are in a single poem or more than one.
Entry forms are not required for this contest; however, by entering you agree to abide by the judge's decisions, and that those decisions are final.If you win a cash prize you agree to allow John H. Reid and Winning Writers to publish your poem online.
There is no maximum limit on the number of lines (or number of entries) you may submit. There are no restrictions on subject matter and, unlike many other contests, humorous poems and comic verses are most welcome, as are previously published and prize-winning poems (providing the writer has retained online publishing copyright).
Writing Spirit Award (Ireland)
Final deadline: 30 November, but see below.
First Prize: €1000
Second Prize: €200
Third Prize: €100
The competition is open to all nationalities and all genres. Entry fee €7 (approx. NZ$14) per collection of poems (minimum of 4 poems, maximum of 10 poems). The prize winning collections of poems, along with other merited poems will be published in a separate anthology when the competition has concluded.
Please read the full set of rules and guidelines before entering your poems.
Deadline Dates:
The contest opens 1st January 2010, and runs for four rounds throughout the year. The submission deadlines are as follows:
Third round: 30th September
Fourth round: 30th November
Each new round begins immediately after the end of the previous round (i.e. you may enter at any time from 1st Jan to 30th Nov).
At the end of each round, the best collections of poems, as chosen by a panel of judges, will be shortlisted for the Award. Each round's shortlist will be announced on the Writing4all website (www.writing4all.ie) shortly after the end of each round.
At the end of the competition, the judges will choose the six highest ranking collections of poems from the shortlists. The top three winning collections of poems will be chosen from these six collections of poems by the Grand Judge, renowned poet John W. Sexton. The decisions of the judging panel, and thereafter of the Grand Judge, are final. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.
For instructions on how to enter and pay for your entry (including PayPal instructions), see: http://www.writing4all.ie/site/catalogues/entry/writing4all_writing/yes.htm
October
Genomics Forum Poetry Competition (UK)
Deadline: 7 October
The Forum is delighted to announce a brand new writing competition for budding poets. ‘improving the human' - Humanity+poetry
The human genome has been unravelled and mapped. Genes responsible for different illnesses and conditions are being identified. Will this information improve the human and help us avoid disease and death? And does this desire to be perfect mask something more sinister - a lack of empathy for the imperfect? Will this lead to a genetic divide between rich and poor? Do we even want to live for ever? Or, like the Sibyl, do we think that death gives life its meaning?
Thomas Hardy was inspired by germ plasm theory (the forerunner to genetics) to write ‘Heredity';
"... that is I;
The eternal thing in man,
That heeds no call to die."
Are you similarly inspired?
Brief: Write a poem of no more than 50 lines on the theme of ‘improving the human'.
The judges are Gwyneth Lewis (Wales's National Poet 2005-06), Peggy Hughes at the Scottish Poetry Library, and Professor Steve Yearley, (director of the Genomics Forum). Poems should not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere. Entrants can be of any nationality. Entrants can only submit one poem.
Send your poems to pippa.goldschmidt@ed.ac.uk
Please send your poem as an attachment to your email, and ensure that the attachment contains only the poem and poem title (if using a title) but no other identification. In the body of the email, please list your name, contact details and poem title (or first line of poem, if you do not wish to give it a title).
Winners will be contacted in November 2010 and a list of winning entries will be posted on the Genomics Forum website by the end of November.
First prize is £500, second prize is £200, and third prize is £100.
For further information visit http://www.genomicsnetwork.ac.uk/esrcgenomicsnetwork/news/latestnews/title,23732,en.html
Rem Magazine - call for submissions
Deadline 15 October, for the November issue.
Rem Magazine invites experimental, visual poetry, short stories, text, art images, critical essays, reviews on books and film. For guidelines, visit http://remmagazine.net/submissions/ or send submissions to submissions@remmagazine.net.
November
Prose and Poetry Prizes from The New Writer magazine
Closing date 30 November
Established in 1997, 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 on TNW website).
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 Or the entry form can also be downloaded from that page on the website and sent in the post with your entry.
Prose & Poetry Prizes 2009 results will be posted at our website towards the end of March 2010: http://www.thenewwriter.com/prizewinners.htm
Writing Spirit Award (Ireland)
Final deadline: 30 November
First Prize: €1000
Second Prize: €200
Third Prize: €100
The competition is open to all nationalities and all genres. Entry fee €7 (approx. NZ$14) per collection of poems (minimum of 4 poems, maximum of 10 poems). The prize winning collections of poems, along with other merited poems will be published in a separate anthology when the competition has concluded.
Please read the full set of rules and guidelines before entering your poems.
Deadline Dates:
The contest opens 1st January 2010, and runs for four rounds throughout the year. The submission deadlines are as follows:
Fourth round: 30th November
Each new round begins immediately after the end of the previous round (i.e. you may enter at any time from 1st Jan to 30th Nov).
At the end of each round, the best collections of poems, as chosen by a panel of judges, will be shortlisted for the Award. Each round's shortlist will be announced on the Writing4all website (www.writing4all.ie) shortly after the end of each round.
At the end of the competition, the judges will choose the six highest ranking collections of poems from the shortlists. The top three winning collections of poems will be chosen from these six collections of poems by the Grand Judge, renowned poet John W. Sexton. The decisions of the judging panel, and thereafter of the Grand Judge, are final. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.
For instructions on how to enter and pay for your entry (including PayPal instructions), see: http://www.writing4all.ie/site/catalogues/entry/writing4all_writing/yes.htm
