Poetry Competition for Young People (12 – 17 years) and Children (11 years and under)
Entry has now closed.
You may not be aware that the annual Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition has categories for younger poets as well as adults so we’ve created a separate page for you to make this clearer. If you are 18 or over please go to the main Poetry Competition page.
See below for full details and prizes. Stuck for ideas? Check out these fun and useful resources:
https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/ (The tips and advice section is extensive and very useful!)
https://www.poetry4kids.com/ (This even has a rhyming dictionary!)
http://www.languageisavirus.com/writing_prompts.php (Press the button to generate a writing prompt!)
https://www.ourcoronadiary.com/ (Poetry often starts out as prose! Or write your diary in verse!)
https://www.sparkwriters.org/get-creative/ (short videos with some writing ideas)
https://www.ministryofstories.org/get-writing/ (lots of writing tips and ideas for different kinds of writing)
Judge: Liz Berry
Young Persons’ prizes (ages 12-17)
First Prize: £100 and a reading at the 2020 Festival
Second Prize: £50 and a reading at the 2020 Festival
Third Prize: £25 and a reading at the 2020 Festival
Rose Brennan, 2019 Winner, says: “I normally write poems about historical events or people, so to win third prize for a poem that was written on a subject out of my comfort zone is a massive confidence booster”.
Children’s Prizes (11 years and under)
First Prize: £25 book token and a reading at the 2020 Festival
Second Prize: £15 book token and a reading at the 2020 Festival
Third Prize: £10 book token and a reading at the 2020 Festival
(The relevant ages means age on the date of submission.)
For nearly quarter of a century, Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition has been an important first step in many poets’ careers. Jacob Polley, winner of the 2016 T.S. Eliot Award, started his career with a win at Ledbury in 2001. “Winning the Ledbury Poetry Competition in 2001 pushed me forward, towards more poems, my first book and beyond”, Jacob says.
We are sorry but entry to this year’s Ledbury Poetry Competition has now closed.
Please try again in 2021. Details will be available early next year.