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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260901
DTSTAMP:20260402T133945Z
CREATED:20260327T113944Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T133945Z
UID:1544-1788134400-1788220799@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Aesthetica Creative Writing Award - Poetry
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 31 August 2026\nEntry Fee: £12\nPrizes: Winner: £2\,500\, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and an Arvon writing course \nWord Limit: 40 lines\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website:  aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award\n\nThe Aesthetica Creative Writing Award offers two prizes\, one for poetry and one for short fiction. Run by Aesthetica magazine\, there is a brilliant bundle of prizes available for the winner. These include the rather substantial £2\,500 cash prize\, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual and a five-day course from Arvon. The winner of the poetry competition will also receive full membership to The Poetry Society\, a course from  the Poetry School and a one-year print subscription to Poetry London. \nThe judging panel is made up if editors and publishers from a wide range of organisations and publications and previous winners have become winners or made the shortlist of some of the biggest awards around including the TS Eliot Prize\, the National Poetry Competition and the Costa Book Award.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/aesthetica-creative-writing-award-poetry/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260901
DTSTAMP:20260803T123849Z
CREATED:20260803T123849Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T123849Z
UID:15819-1788134400-1788220799@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Oxford Poetry Prize 2026
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 11:59 pm (UK time) on Monday 31st August 2026\nEntry Fee:  £10\nPrizes: 1st Place: £2\,000; 2nd Place: £1\,000; 3rd Place: £500\nPublication: All winning poets are offered publication in the print magazine Oxford Poetry.\nWord Limit: 60 lines\nJudge: Rowan Ricardo Phillips\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: oxfordpoetry.com/prize\n\nOxford Poetry awards the annual Oxford Poetry Prize for a single poem in the English language. This year there are £3\,500 in prizes. The guest judge is Rowan Ricardo Phillips: the author of Silver and Living Weapon\, both published by Faber\, he is poetry editor of The New Republic and editor of the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets. He is Presidential and Distinguished Professor of English at Stony Brook University\, and lives in New York and Barcelona.  \nThe winner of the 2026 Oxford Poetry Prize will receive £2\,000\, the runner-up £1\,000\, and the second runner-up £500. The prize-winning poets will also be offered publication in the print magazine. This year’s prize closes for entries at midnight UTC on 31 August\, 2026.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/oxford-poetry-prize/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260906
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260907
DTSTAMP:20260803T103919Z
CREATED:20260803T103919Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T103919Z
UID:15808-1788652800-1788739199@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Competition
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 23.59 (UK time) 6th September 2026\nEntry Fee: £4 per poem or £10 for 3 poems or £15 for 5 poems\nPrizes: 1st Prize: £300; 2nd Prize: £100; 3rd Prize: £50\nPublication: Winners’ poems to be published on the Festival website\nWord Limit: 50 lines\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: cheltenhampoetryfestival.co.uk/poetry-competition-2026\n\nThe Cheltenham Poetry Festival poetry competition is for unpublished poems in the English language. The first prize is £300 plus the opportunity to appear at the 2027 Cheltenham Poetry Festival (either online or in Cheltenham). There is no theme to this competition\, so simply send your best poems. You can enter as many poems as you wish. \nThe Festival judge is the amazing poet Rosie Garland\, who writes poetry\, long and short fiction and sings with post-punk band The March Violets. She is the author of The Palace of Curiosities (which won the Mslexia Novel Competition and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize)\, Vixen and The Night Brother\, which was described by The Times as “a delight… with shades of Angela Carter.” Her new novel\, The Fates (Quercus) is a retelling of the Greek myth of the Fates. \nHer latest poetry collection\, What Girls do in the Dark (Nine Arches Press)\, was shortlisted for the 2021 Polari Prize. Val McDermid has named her “one of the most compelling LGBT+ writers in the UK today”. \nStarted in 2011\, Cheltenham Poetry Festival is one of the UK’s top poetry festivals. The in-Cheltenham Festival runs for 10 days in April. It also has a year round online programme of readings and workshops.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/cheltenham-poetry-festival-poetry-competition/
LOCATION:VirtualLocation
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260912
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260913
DTSTAMP:20260702T101645Z
CREATED:20260702T101645Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T101645Z
UID:15160-1789171200-1789257599@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Mere Literary Festival Children’s and Young People's Writing Competition 2026
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: Midnight on 12th September 2026\nEntry Fee: FREE\nPrizes: 1st Prizes £50 book token 2nd Prizes £25 book token; Winning entries will be published on Mere Literary Festival website.\nTheme: Adventure\nWord Limit: 800 words\nCategory: Short Story\, Poetry\, Non-Fiction\, Flash\nCompetition Website:  mereliteraryfestival.com/mere-literary-festival-childrens-and-young-peoples-writing-competition\n\nOrganised by the Mere Literary Festival\, this is the second year the competition has been run. and the entries received last year were of a high standard. There are two age categories: 6 to 10 years and 11 to 15 years. It is a national competition although there is a special category prize for writers from Wiltshire\, Somerset and Dorset. \nThe organisers encourage entries from writers from all backgrounds and are looking for bold\, original writing. The theme can be interpreted in any way the writer decides; it can be a story\, a poem\, a description or an account of how the writer thinks about it. Winners will be announced during the week beginning 12th October 2026. \nPlease see the competition site for the full details.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/mere-literary-festival-writing-competition/
LOCATION:VirtualLocation
CATEGORIES:Flash Fiction Competitions,Non-fiction Competitions,Poetry Competitions,Short Story Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260918
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260919
DTSTAMP:20260803T122708Z
CREATED:20260803T122708Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T122708Z
UID:15815-1789689600-1789775999@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Missing People Anthology
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 18 September 2026\nEntry Fee: FREE\nPrizes: Publication in the anthology\nWord Limit: Prose: 1000 words\, poetry: 40 lines\nTheme: Experience of a loved one going missing\nCategories: Short Story\, Poetry\, Non-fiction\nCompetition Website:  .missingpeople.org.uk/submit-your-work-to-our-anthology-about-missing\n\nThe Missing People charity is looking for contributions to an anthology of writing that reflects the experience of having a loved one go missing\, \nOnly people who have experience of someone close to them being missing can submit entries.\nWriters must be at least 18 years old. \nOnly original work can be submitted – poetry and various types of prose including stories\, reflections and letters. \nPoetry: up to 40 lines\, Prose: up to 1\,000 words. Maximum of five entries per person. \nWriting should reflect one of the following themes in the context of missing:\n– love\n– hope\n– memories
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/missing-people-anthology/
CATEGORIES:Non-fiction Competitions,Poetry Competitions,Short Story Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260930
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261001
DTSTAMP:20260612T143134Z
CREATED:20260611T125920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T143134Z
UID:2783-1790726400-1790812799@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:SaveAs Writers' International Writing Competition 2026 - Poetry
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 30 September 2026\nName: The Canterbury Christ Church University Poetry Prize\nTheme Lines of Communication\nEntry Fee: £4 per poem\, £10 for three\nPrizes: First: £200; Second: £100; Third: £50\nWord Limit: 60 lines\nCategory: Poetry competition\nJudge: Derek Sellen and Mary Anne Smith Sellen\nCompetition Website: saveaswriters.co.uk/all-competitions/lines-of-communication-2026.html\n\nTo celebrate 150 years since the first ever telephone call made by Alexander Graham Bell\, SaveAs Writers invite you to submit poetry or short stories with this theme: ‘Lines of Communication’.\n     Methods of communication have developed rapidly since that first phone call in 1876. Therefore\, the theme can be interpreted widely. Submissions might focus on communication in relationships • in the age of the Internet\, the mobile phone and AI • between human beings and aliens or robots • between nations or different cultures.\nWhat are the limits and difficulties of communication? Perhaps you want to explore if better communication means better understanding. Or if it is always used for the best reasons. These are just some of the possibilities. \nBe sure to read the full terms and conditions on the competition site before entering.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/saveas-writers-poetry-competition/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newwriters.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SaveAs-Writers-Awards-2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261001
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261002
DTSTAMP:20260408T153032Z
CREATED:20260331T091920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T153032Z
UID:11381-1790812800-1790899199@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 1st October 2026\nEntry Fee:  $25 per submission (one submission may contain up to 3 poems)\nPrizes: TOM HOWARD PRIZE: $3\,500 for a poem in any style or genre; MARGARET REID PRIZE: $3\,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style; The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from co-sponsor\, Duotrope (a $100 value); Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $500 each (any style); Top 12 entries published online\nWord Limit: 250 lines maximum\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nFinal Judges: Michal ‘MJ’ Jones\, assisted by Briana Grogan and Dare Williams\nCompetition Website:  winningwriters.com/our-contests/tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest\n\nRun by Winning Writers (with co-sponsor\, Duotrope)\, The Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest is open to entries of up to 250 lines and there are two prizes to go for: the Tom Howard prize of $3\,500 is awarded for a poem in any style or genre\, while the Margaret Reid Prize\, also of $3\,500\, is awarded for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. \nThe results of the contest will be announced on 15th April 2027. Please see the competition website for the full entry details.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261020
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261021
DTSTAMP:20260722T150800Z
CREATED:20250910T102736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260722T150800Z
UID:11172-1792454400-1792540799@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Eyelands Book Awards 2026
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 20th October 2026\nEntry Fee: €40\nPrizes: Five-day stay in Athens (winners of the Published Books and Writers’ Choice categories); lots more prizes for the various categories\nWord Limit: 250\,000 words / 250 pages (check by category)\nCategory: Novel\, Non-fiction\, Poetry Competitions\nCharity: 1 euro from every submission will be donated to United Nations Refugee Agency Greece\nCompetition Website:  eyelandsawards.com\n\nThe Eyelands Book Awards is running for the eighth year and is open to writers from all over the world. There are several categories to choose from: \nAWARD CATEGORIES (select one per entry application): \nThe following are eligible: \n1/Full-length books of fiction (Novels or novellas of any genre)\n2/Collections of short stories by one author\n3/Collected and selected poems\n4/Historical fiction – Memoir\n5/Children’s and YA books – Graphic Novels\n6/ LGBTQIA+ (texts of any genre with main theme related to the community)\n7/ Sci-Fi – Crime/Thriller – Horror (Novels or novellas)\n8/ Self-published books      \nPRIZES\n– Grand prize (published books): Five-day stay in Athens.\n– Grand prize (writers’ choice): Five-day stay in Athens.\n– Grand prize (unpublished books): Translation into Greek and publication from Strange Days Books.\n– 14 more prizes\, also win a handmade ceramic designed especially for Eyelands Book Awards!\n– Certification document for every prize winner.\n– Online publication for selected texts of prize-winning books.\n– Translation into Greek for poetry & short stories prize winners!\n– Video promotion across our social media for grand prize & prize winners.\n– There will be at least five finalists for each category. \nCheck out the competition site for the full details and to enter.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/eyelands-book-awards/
LOCATION:VirtualLocation
CATEGORIES:Non-fiction Competitions,Novel Competitions,Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261031
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261101
DTSTAMP:20260108T155806Z
CREATED:20250106T125238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260108T155806Z
UID:681-1793404800-1793491199@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Anthology Poetry Competition 2026
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 31st October 2026\nEntry Fee: Early Bird: €15 – until 30th June 2026; Standard fee: €18 – 1st July to 31st October 2026\nPrizes: 1st Place: €1\,000\, plus publication in Anthology magazine; 2nd Place: €250; 3rd Place: €150\nWord Limit: 40 lines maximum\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: anthology-magazine.com/awards/poetry-competition\n\nThe Anthology Poetry Award\, run by Anthology magazine\, gives poets a chance to get their work published in their modern and stylish publication (which is based in the Republic of Ireland). This year’s poetry comp is open to poems of up to 40 lines and is open to entrants of any age\, based anywhere in the world. \nThe poems must be written in English and must be original and unpublished. Entries cost €18 a pop (unless you get in early for a discount)\, but there is no limit to the number of entries you may submit (though you obviously have to pay the fee for each entry). The magazine also runs a Short Story Award and various others too for those who are interested.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/anthology-poetry-award/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261130
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261201
DTSTAMP:20260722T141618Z
CREATED:20260722T141426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260722T141618Z
UID:15768-1795996800-1796083199@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Word Exchange Competition
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 23:59pm (UK time) on Monday 30th November 2026\nEntry Fee: FREE\nPrizes: A performance slot on stage at the London Literature Festival in 2027\nWord Limit: See competition site\nTheme/Genre: Word Exchange: celebrate the words\, sayings\, languages\, accents and dialects from where you live\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: southbankcentre.co.uk/create-learn/talent-artist-development/a-poet-in-every-port/the-word-exchange-competition\n\nAre you a poet or writer inspired by where you live or grew up? Enter the Southbank Centre and National Poetry Library’s Word Exchange competition celebrating poetry\, language\, dialects and sayings found across the UK. \nWrite your own Word Exchange poem and share a video performing it on Instagram or TikTok – and you could win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on stage at the London Literature Festival in 2027. \nWord Exchange poems are short poems that use the unique words\, sayings\, languages and dialects from where you live or grew up. The ‘exchange’ happens when you use:\n–	local slang or regional dialects\n–	sayings passed down through your family\n–	lesser-used words from the past that you don’t use anymore\n–	new words you’ve discovered in recent years. \nOne winner will receive a platform to perform their Word Exchange poem on a national stage at the London Literature Festival in autumn 2027. \nEntry is free and open to all UK residents aged 16+. To submit\, follow these three steps:\n1. Create your own Word Exchange poem (free guide available on Southbank Centre’s website)\n2. Post a video reading your poem (maximum three minutes long) on Instagram or TikTok – tag @SouthbankCentre and use the hashtag #APoetinEveryPort.\n3. Complete the entry form on Southbank Centre’s website to finalise your submission.\nWhether you’ve been honing your craft for a while or you’re completely new to writing\, we want to hear from you. \nThe deadline to enter is Monday 30th November at 23:59 pm. \nPlease read the full competition terms and conditions on the Southbank Centre’s website before entering.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/the-word-exchange-competition/
LOCATION:VirtualLocation
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261207
DTSTAMP:20260803T103110Z
CREATED:20260105T101951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T103110Z
UID:6821-1796515200-1796601599@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:New2theScene Poetry Competition 2026
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: 6th December 2026 (opens 4th October 2026)\nEntry Fee: £5\nPrizes: First prize: Interview for the New2theScene podcast; £50 New2theScene vouchers; ‘Origins’ blog’; author bio and work featured on the New2theScene website; social media promotion; publication in an anthology; possible future projects not advertised on the site. Notable mentions: £15 New2theScene vouchers; possible publication in anthology\nWord Limit: 400 words\nTheme/Genre: Any – let your imagination free!\nCategory: Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: new2thescene.co.uk/new2thecomp\n\nNew2theScene is a platform for the discovery of new or not yet familiar literary talent. They sell the books of authors who aren’t bestsellers (yet)\, promoting them through their podcast\, articles\, blogs\, social media and so on. They have now launched their latest poetry competition (it opens for entries on 5th October 2025). It’s open to published poets to amateurs from around the world and it will be judged by a guest author (tbc). \nAlthough the cash prize isn’t as big as some out there (well\, vouchers for this one)\, the winner will also be interviewed on the New2theScene podcast and given exposure on the socials\, so it could be a great opportunity to get your writing out there.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/new2thescene-poetry-competition/
LOCATION:VirtualLocation
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newwriters.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/New2theScene.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270301
DTSTAMP:20260722T153437Z
CREATED:20260721T082154Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260722T153437Z
UID:7002-1803772800-1803859199@newwriters.org.uk
SUMMARY:Canterbury Tales Writing Competition 2026/27
DESCRIPTION:Deadline: Midnight (UK time) on 28 February 2027\nEntry Fee: FREE\nPrizes: For entrant: 1st £300\, 2nd £150\, 3rd £100 (Prizes for entrant’s school library: 1st £1000\, 2nd £500\, 3rd £250)\nWord Limit: 500 words\nTheme/Genre: Transformations\nEligibility: The three age groups are: Junior – 5-10 years old\, Intermediate – 11-14 years old\, Senior – 15-18 years old\nCategory: Story/Poetry Competitions\nCompetition Website: chaucer.org.uk/canterbury-tales-writing-competition-2026-7-transformations\n\nThis competition is organised by The Chaucer Heritage Trust (which was founded in 1992 and aims to further interest\, understanding and appreciation of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer\, his life and times\, and influence).  \nThe special theme of the competition this year is ‘Transformations’ and the competition is open to all students of school age including not only those in schools and college communities\, but also students who are home educated and in any other young people’s community organisations. The three age groups are: Junior – 5-10 years old\, Intermediate – 11-14 years old\, Senior – 15-18 years old (based on the entrant’s age on 28 February 2027 – please include your date of birth on the entry form). \nEntrants should invoke the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and must choose ONE of the following:\n– Write a poem or story about a transformation\n– Write a poem or story about change that leads to surprising consequences\n– Write a description of a character who transforms from evil to good or from good to evil \nMore details available on the competition site.
URL:https://newwriters.org.uk/competition/canterbury-tales-writing-competition/
CATEGORIES:Poetry Competitions,Short Story Competitions
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