Classical Association Verse and Voice Competition

• Deadline: 23:59 (GMT) on Friday 27 February 2026
• Entry Fee: FREE
• Prizes: Share of £2,000 prize money
• Word Limit: 1,000 words
• Theme/Genre: Inspired by classical objects from Sir John Soane’s Museum
• Category: Poetry Competitions
• Competition Website: classicalassociation.org/verse-and-voice-competition

The Classical Association is delighted to be working in collaboration with Sir John Soane’s Museum in London to open entries for our 2026 Verse and Voice Competition, which is free for everyone to enter, of any age, across the world. Explore the fascinating classical objects in the Sir John Soane collection and be creatively inspired to submit your poems and spoken word pieces!

Entries must not have been previously published or accepted for publication in print or online by a third party. Selected entries may be published on the competition website.

Note that there are three age categories:
– Junior: aged 11 and under
– Senior: aged 12-18
– Open: aged 19 and above

Entries can be submitted as Verse (written poem) or Voice (spoken word):

Verse (Written Poem) Category

• You must be inspired by one or more of the ten inspiration objects.
• There is no specific prompt or any restriction upon the style of your poem. Be creative!
• Poems must not exceed 1000 words in length.

Voice (Spoken Word) Category

• You must be inspired by one or more of the ten inspiration objects.
• Your spoken word piece must not exceed 8 minutes in length.
• You must upload your video to YouTube unlisted.
• In the description box of your video you must state the following: ‘this is an entry for the 2026 CA Competition and the views and opinions in this work are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of The Classical Association or Sir John Soane’s Museum’.

There are two fantastic judges for the competition: Helen Dorey, MBE – Deputy Director and Inspectress of Sir John Soane’s Museum, and Barney Norris – Award-winning writer.