The Shelley Memorial Project is now open for submissions for their annual poetry competitions.

Participants over the age of 18 are welcome to submit up to two poems of up to 50 lines, and may be inspired by a poem or line from one of Shelley's poems or by the theme of the competition, "The Spirit of Rebellion".

There are three prizes of £50 (3rd), £100 (2nd), and £250 (1st).

All submissions are judged anonymously.

see About 3 — Shelley Memorial Project

The Ironbridge Poetry Competition is now open for submissions from participants based from anywhere around the world.

Poems submitted must be previously unpublished, be a maximum of 40 lines and can be on any theme or subject.

There are three prizes of £300 (1st), £125 (2nd), and £25 (3rd). Entries from participants in a TF postcode will also be eligible for a local prize of £50.

Judge: Pat Edwards

see Ironbridge Poetry Competition 2023 – Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists

The Science Museum is now open for poetry submissions in celebration of this year's National Poetry Day.

Participants are encouraged to submit a piece of writing based on objects in the museum collection – especially those Never Been Seen (https://thesciencemuseum.github.io/never-been-seen/) by the public before or objects found using the museum's Random Object Generator (https://lab.sciencemuseum.org.uk/science-museum-random-object-generator-...) tool. Poems can be on any form and any length.

Successful poems will be posted on the Science Museum's social media platforms on National Poetry Day, Thursday 5th October.

see Join the Science Museum Group in celebrating National Poetry Day 2023 - Science Museum Group

Frosted Fire is now open for submissions for their fourth annual Single-Poem Competition.

Entrants are welcome to submit up to four previously unpublished poems that touch on the theme of the Ticking Clock.

There are prizes of £350, £150, £75, plus three highly commended prizes of £25. All prizewinning, short listed, and long listed poems, along with audio of their author reading them, will be included in an online anthology.

Judge: Angela France

See TC (wildfire-words.com)

The Waltham Forest Poetry Competition is now open for poetry submissions on the theme of Play.

Participants from anywhere around the world are encouraged to submit up to six poems. Poems should be 40 lines or less, not including the title. There will be an Adult and Young Poet category, plus local prizes for people who live, work, or study in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. There will also be a prize for the funniest poem overall.

For the Adult Competition, there are three prizes of £400 (1st), £200 (2nd), and £100 (3rd). The local prize for poets are £50 (1st), £30 (2nd), and £20 (3rd), and will be offered publication in an eight page pamphlet.

For the Young Poet Competition, there are three prizes of £50 (1st), £30 (2nd), and £20 (3rd). The local Young Poet prize for poets are £50 (1st), £30 (2nd), and £20 (3rd).

There will also be a separate prize of £100 for the funniest poem on the theme from either an adult or a young poet.

Judges: Niall O'Sullivan, Paul McGrane, and Barry Coidan

see  Enter the Waltham Forest Poetry Competition: PLAY – The Waltham Forest Poetry Competition (wordpress.com)

The Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Competition is now open for submissions.

Participants from all over the world are welcome to submit previously unpublished poems of no more than 50 lines in length. Poems must be written in English.

There are three prizes of £50 (3rd), £100 (2nd), and £200 (1st). The first prize winner will also be offered a guest slot at the 2024 Cheltenham Poetry Festival. All winning and highly commended poets will be invited to read at an awards ceremony.

Judge: Joseph Fasano

see Poetry Competition 2023 - Cheltenham Poetry Festival

Mist and Mountain is now open for submissions for their International Poetry Prize 2023.

The competition is open to writers worldwide, inviting them to submit an original poem on the theme of Memory.

The overall winner will receive a cash prize of £150 and a bespoke plaque. Two runner-ups will each receive a small plaque and a cash prize of £50.

Judge: Dr Claire Askew

see MIST AND MOUNTAIN INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE – Mist and Mountain

The Anthology Poetry Competition 2023 is now open for submissions of previously unpublished poems in the English language. Participants from all over the world are encouraged to submit original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. There is no restriction on theme or style. Poems submitted should not exceed 40 lines. There is no limit to entries per participant.

There are three prizes of €150 (3rd), €250 (2nd), and €1,000 (1st). The first prize winner will also have their work published in a future issue of Anthology alongside a one-year subscription to the magazine.

Judge: Dr. Rachael Hegarty

see Poetry Competition - Anthology (anthology-magazine.com)

Open to poems of up to 40 lines and short stories of up to 3,000 words. There are special prizes for writers aged 17–25, and for those with a Bedford postcode.

Prizes (in each category)
First: £1,500
Second: £300
Third: £200
Cygnature Prize (17–25s): £200
Bedford Prize: £100

Judges
Kirsten Norrie aka MacGillivray (poetry)
Tim Jarvis (stories)

See The Bedford Competition Home Page (bedfordwritingcompetition.co.uk)

The Sabine Baring-Gould Poetry Competition.  The Rev Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924) was a popular novelist, a collector of folk songs and fairy tales, and an amateur archaeologist - as well as the father of fifteen children and writer of some well-known hymns. This competition - part of the programme of events marking the centenary of his death - is divided into two categories: poems based on any aspect of his life and writing, and poems that allude to any of his Cornish or Devon-based novels.

Prizes
First (in each category): £50

Judges  - Rebecca Tope & panel

See SBG24-18-Poetry-competition__-details-v.2-1.pdf (myfanwycook.com)