Poetry Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities – May 2024

Happy May Day! Another month rolls around with a brand new list of over 150 poetry competitions, writing submissions and opportunities open or with deadlines in May 2024.​

Today is also the Irish celebration of Bealtaine, one of the traditional fire festivals of the Celtic calendar and you can explore into these ancient summer rituals in a brand new writing prompt on the blog.​

We’ve just finished up our NaPoWriMo 30-day writing challenge Songs of a Pagan Place | Writing the Irish Myths & Legends with a fantastic group reading – it’s also a real pleasure to hear the work generated by these courses and I was blown away by the imagination and talent these writers brought to the materials. Congrats to everyone who took part!

Coming up this month, I’ll be running my popular 6-week intermediate course starting 22 May – Writing Slant | Making a Poem which takes a deep dive into the making of a poem. It’s the perfect way to revisit all those first drafts and put them through their paces before sending them out for publication.

And in June, I’ll be running a couple of daytime 4-week Poetry Workshop groups on Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoons, which are filling up fast, so best be quick!

If you find the monthly submissions list useful, and would like to show your appreciation to keep it as an open resource for writers in 2024, please click one of the links below and make a small contribution – a €12 donation is suggested but any and all contributions are greatly appreciated.

​DONATE OR SUBSCRIBE VIA PAYPAL​
​DONATE VIA STRIPE (CREDIT CARD)​

And, if you have the means, please consider making a monthly contribution by selecting that box on the Paypal link.

Whatever you’re up to with your writing this month — drafting, honing, editing or submitting — I wish you every luck and success. Please consider sharing a link to the submissions list on your own social media pages.

Thank you!

---

ANGELA T. CARR ​
POET, FACILITATOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT WORDBOX​
​​WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

---

Poetry Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities – April 2024

Happy Easter everyone – I hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend!! With the arrival of Spring and longer evenings, this month also brings over 150 poetry competitions, writing submissions and opportunities open or with deadlines in April 2024.

To celebrate April 1st or All Fool’s Day, a new monthly writing prompt on the blog invites you to takes a dive into the mysteries of the The Fool card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck to explore all things carefree and foolish.

This month is also National Poetry Writing Month or NaPoWriMo and the new 30-day writing challenge Songs of a Pagan Place | Writing the Irish Myths & Legends kicked off this morning with the first prompt. If you’d like to try your hand at writing a poem a day in April, there’s still time to join us – the Facebook group closes today but the email option will remain open for the rest of the month. For more information and to book, click on the link above or the button below.

tell me more about songs of a pagan place 30-day challenge >>>

The Thursday evening poetry workshop group is also starting this week and there are two spots left if you fancy putting some poems through their paces before sending out for publication.

If you find the monthly submissions list useful, and would like to show your appreciation to keep it as an open resource for writers in 2024, please click one of the links below and make a small contribution – a €12 donation is suggested but any and all contributions are greatly appreciated.

​DONATE OR SUBSCRIBE VIA PAYPAL​
​DONATE VIA STRIPE (CREDIT CARD)​

And, if you have the means, please consider making a monthly contribution by selecting that box on the Paypal link.

Whatever you’re up to with your writing this month — drafting, honing, editing or submitting — I wish you every luck and success. Please consider sharing a link to the submissions list on your own social media pages.

Thank you!

---

ANGELA T. CARR ​
POET, FACILITATOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT WORDBOX​
​​WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

---

Poetry Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities – June 2022

Hello Summer! The poetry list is back with over 140 poetry competitions, writing submissions and opportunities open or with deadlines in June 2022.

It’s been a slow start to the month for me kicking off with an internet outage – Mercury retrograde or a reminder from the Universe that summer is a time to slow down and take things easy? History will decide. Despite tech woes, the Fool’s Gold | Writing the Tarot workshop went without a hitch last weekend and the Writing Slant | Making a Poem 6-week course is now up and running, with a new group of writers eager to develop and hone their craft. Last week, we looked at expanding the world of the poem and drew inspiration from Barbara Guest, Annie Dillard, Robert MacFarlane, Maggie Smith and more.

Ideas are already brewing for a new summer writing challenge – look out for more information at the beginning of July. And, if you want to get the scoop on upcoming events before everyone else, take advantage of early-bird prices, AND have the poetry list delivered straight to your inbox each month, jump on the mailing list here.

Whatever you’re up to with your writing this month – drafting, honing, editing or submitting – I wish you every luck and success. If you appreciate the monthly list and would like to support it, please consider making a small donation via the Paypal donation button (right) and/or share this post on your own blog or social media pages. Thank you!

---

JUNE 2022

Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year – Poetry – closes 3 June (submit online)

Write by the Sea Writing Competitions – Poetry, Fiction, Flash – closes 3 June (submit online)

Eat the Storms – Poetry, Fiction, Art, theme: Eat the Storms – closes 4 June (submit online)

iOTA Shot Poetry Pamphlet Awards – Poetry manuscript (15-20 pages) – closes 6 June (submit online)

Mslexia Showcase – Poetry, theme: Keys – closes 6 June (submit online)

Under the Radar Magazine – Poetry – closes 7 June (submit online)

Abridged 0-82 – Poetry, Art, theme: Axis – closes 10 June (submit online)

Live Canon Poetry Collection Competition – Poetry manuscript (35+ poems) – closes 10 June (submit online)

Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize – Poetry manuscript (20 pages) – closes 12 June (submit online)

HOWL Writing – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Art & Photography – closes 12 June (submit online)#

Aurora Prize for Writing – Poetry, Fiction – closes 13 June (submit online)

Channel Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Essay, Art – closes 15 June (submit online)

Chicago Review – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction – closes 15 June (submit online)

Fourteen Hills – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Art – closes 15 June (submit online)

Imposter Lit – Poetry, theme: Geography – closes 15 June (submit online)

Petrichor Magazine – Poetry, Visual Poetry, Video, Art – closes 15 June (submit online)

The Four Faced Liar – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Creative Non-Fiction, Art – closes 15 June (submit online)

The MacGuffin Poem Hunt – Poetry – closes 15 June (submit online)

Visual Verse – Poetry, Flash, Non-Fiction – closes 15 June (submit online)

Michael Hartnett Poetry Award – Poetry Collection in English (3rd or subsequent collection) – closes 17 June (submit online)

Palette Poetry Sappho Prize for Women Poets – Poetry – closes 19 June (submit online)

The Straid Poetry Collection Awards – Poetry manuscript (38+ pages) – closes 20 June (submit online)

The Poetry Kit Spring Competition – Poetry – closes 21 June (submit online)

The Arts Council Agility Award – All artists – closes 23 June (submit online)

The Arts Council Literature Bursary Award – All genres – closes 23 June (submit online)

The Mechanic Institute Review – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction – closes 24 June (submit online)

The Puritan – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction – closes 25 June (submit online)

14 Magazine – Poetry (14 lines) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Alba – Poetry (12 lines max.) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Alchemy Spoon – Poetry, theme: Space – closes 30 June (submit online)

Bath Magg – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Candlestick Press – Poetry, theme: Christmas Stories – closes 30 June (submit online)

Fawn Press Poetry Pamphlets – Poetry manuscript (18-25 poems) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Fingal Poetry Festival Competitions – Poetry (English & Irish) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Granta – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction – closes 30 June (submit online)#

Long Poem Magazine – Poetry (75 lines min.) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Mud Season Review – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Art – closes 30 June (submit online)

Okay Donkey – Poetry, Flash – closes 30 June (submit online)

Poetry Birmingham – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Poetry London Competition – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Queen Mary Wasifiri New Writing Prize – Poetry, Fiction, Memoir – closes 30 June (submit online)

Rhino Poetry – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Rust + Moth – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Split Lip Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Memoir and more – closes 30 June (submit online)

The Fairy Tale Review: The Rainbow Issue – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Art (queer writers only) – closes 30 June (submit online)

Wells Festival of Literature Open Poetry Competition – Poetry – closes 30 June (submit online)

Whale Road Review – Poetry, Flash – closes 30 June (submit online)

AUB International Poetry Prize – Poetry – closes 1 July (submit online)

The Barbara Mandingo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards – Poetry, theme: Peace & the Human Spirit – closes 1 July (submit online)

Duck Duck Mongoose – Poetry, Flash – closes 3 July (submit online)

Coverstory Books International Poetry Competition – Poetry – closes 4 July (submit online)

Lyrik Kabinett Poet-in-Residence – Poetry – closes 4 July (submit online)

---

OPPORTUNITIES WITH RECURRING DEADLINES

Ó Bhéal Five Words – Poetry – deadline each week, annual prize (submit online)

---

OPPORTUNITIES WITH OPEN SUBMISSION PERIODS IN JUNE 2022

The Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition – Poetry – closes 8 July (submit online)

McLellan Poetry Competition – Poetry – closes 10 July (submit online)

Frontier Open Poetry Award – Poetry – closes 17 July (submit online)

Ambit Competitions – Poetry, Fiction, Art – closes 31 July (submit online)

Winchester Poetry Prize – Poetry – closes 31 Jul (submit online)

Impossible Archetype – Poetry (LGBTQ+ poets of all genders) – closes 1 Aug (submit online)

Acumen – Poetry – open (submit online)

Agenda – Poetry, Essays, Reviews – open (submit online)

Ambit – Poetry, Fiction, Art – open (submit online)

A New Ulster – Poetry, Fiction, Artwork – open (submit online)

Anthropocene – Poetry – open (submit online)

Antipoetry Magazine – Poetry – open (submit online)

Apartment Poetry – Poetry – open (submit online)

Atrium – Poetry – open (submit online)

Bear Review – Poetry, Fiction, Essays, Artwork – open (submit online)

Bending Genres – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction – open (submit online)

Brittle Star – Poetry, Fiction – open (submit online)

Carve Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction – open (submit online)

Cheat River Review – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Non-Fiction – open (submit online)

Crow & Cross Keys – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, theme: Gothic – open (submit online)

Crowstep Journal – Poetry – open (submit online)

Damnation – Poetry, Prose, Flash – open (submit online)

Disabled Tales – Poetry, Fiction, Essay – open (submit online)

Dreich Mag – Poetry – open (submit online)

Driftwood Press – Poetry, Fiction, Literary Criticism – open (submit online)

Dust Poetry – Poetry – open (submit online)

Empty Mirror – Poetry, Non-fiction, Visual Art (committed to diversity & inclusion) – open (submit online)

Fecund Journal – Poetry, Fiction, Essay & more (POC only) – open (submit online)

FIVE:2:ONE – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Artwork by underrepresented writers (POC, LGTBQ, non-binary, neurodivergent, trauma survivors etc.) – open (submit online)

Frontier Poetry – Poetry – open (submit online)

Fruit Journal – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Hybrid (LGBTQI+, with emphasis on unheard voices – POC, trans, working class) – open (submit online)

Guernica – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Photo Essays – open (submit by post)

Hosking Houses Trust Residencies – Women writers over 40 (all genres – must have contract to publish / broadcast / perform) – open (submit online)

Idler – Poetry, Fiction, Essays – open (submit online)

Ink Sweat & Tears – Poetry – open (submit online)

Irish Literary Review – Poetry – open (submit online)

Jaden Magazine – Poetry, Non-fiction, Flash, Art & Photography (writers of colour/underrepresented writers) – open (submit online)

Lighthouse Literary Journal – Poetry & Short Fiction – open (submit online)

LitMag – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Essays – open (submit online)

Lunate – Poetry, Fiction, Flash – open (submit online)

New Contrast – Poetry, Fiction – open (submit online)

Neon Magazine – Poetry, Flash, Art and more – open (submit online)

Omelette Literary Magazine – Poetry, Visual Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Creative Non-fiction & more – open (submit online)

One – Poetry, a single poem – open (submit online)

Orbis – Poetry – open (submit by post (UK) or online (overseas only))

PANK – Poetry – open (submit online)

Palette Poetry – Poetry (under-represented and marginalized voices of all colors encouraged to submit) – open (submit online)

Peepal Tree Press – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction manuscripts from Black & Caribbean writers – open (submit online)

Pigeon Pages – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction – open (submit online)

POETRY Magazine – Poetry (submit online)

Poetry Ireland Review – Poetry – open (submit by post)

Poetry London – Poetry – open (submit by post or online)

Poetry Salzburg – Poetry – open (submit by post or online)

Poetry Wales – Poetry – open (submit by post or online)

Porridge Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Art – open (submit online)

PN Review – Poetry, Essays, Reviews – open (submit by post)

Prole – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-fiction – open (submit online)

Riggwelter – Poetry, Short Fiction, Visual Art – (submit online)

River Styx – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Drama, Visual Art – open (submit online)

Shakespeare & Co Tumbleweeds Residency – all writers – open (submit online)

Sine Theta Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Art (Sino diaspora only. People of Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, or Macau heritage, who live anywhere away from the original ‘homeland’ of that heritage – rolling deadlines, email to express interest (submit online)

South Bank Poetry – Poetry – open (submit online)

Spry Literary Journal – Poetry, Fiction, Flash, Creative Non-fiction, Artwork – open (submit online)

Squawk Back – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Reviews, Plays – open (submit online)

Stand Magazine – Poetry, Fiction – open (submit online)

Stepaway Magazine – Poetry, Flash Fiction, theme: walking in the city – open (submit online)

Sunday Mornings at the River – Poetry – open (submit online)

Tears in the Fence – Poetry – open (submit online)

The Brooklyn Quarterly – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Translation, Humour – open (submit online)

The Cardiff Review – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Flash (preference given to students and unpublished graduates of Creative Writing, English Literature & Journalism) – open (submit online)

The Compass Magazine – Poetry – open (submit online)

The Curly Mind – Poetry, theme: experimental – open (submit online)

The Dark Horse – Poetry – open (submit by post)

The Ellis Review – Poetry, published weekly – open (submit online)

The Galway Review – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Reviews, Plays – open (submit online)

The Lake – Poetry – open (submit online)

The Lascaux Review – Poetry, Fiction, Essays – open (submit online)

The Lincoln Review – Poetry, Flash, Creative Non-fiction, Essays and more (actively encourages writers, artists, and photographers who come from marginalised and underprivileged backgrounds) – open (submit online)

The London Magazine – Poetry, Non-Fiction, Art – open (submit online)

The Missouri Review – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction – open (submit online)

The Moth – Poetry, Fiction – open (submit online)

The Offing – Poetry, Translation, Art and more – open (submit online)

The Ofi Press Magazine – Poetry & Short Fiction – open (submit online)

The Poetry Village – Poetry – open (submit online)

The Poetry Review – Poetry – open (submit online)

The Sea Letter – Poetry, Fiction, Artwork – open (submit online)

The Selkie – Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Features (marginalised and/or under-represented voices incl. women (or identify as), people of colour, immigrants, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent and more) – open (submit online)

The Seventh Quarry – Short Poetry – open (submit online)

The Southeast Review – Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Reviews, Artwork – open (submit online)

The Sun Magazine – Poetry, Fiction, Essays, Interviews – open (submit online)

The Times Literary Supplement – Poetry (submit by post)

Three Drops From a Cauldron – Poetry, Flash, theme: Myth, Folklore, Fables, Fairytales – on hiatus (submit online)

Tinderbox Poetry Journal – Poetry – open (submit online)

Trasna – Poetry, Fiction, Essays (open to writers across the world who consider Ireland a home in some regard) – open (submit online)

Wildness – Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction – open (submit online)

Best of luck!

---

If you have a competition or journal with a deadline in JUNE 2022, and it is not included above, feel free to add the details with a link in the comments section below!

---

(Illustration by Nicole Ray via Etsy)

Submitting to Poetry Journals & Competitions: A Beginner’s Guide

Chatting to writers during the recent #JanuaryWriteOff 30 Day Challenge, it became clear many people find the process of submitting to poetry journals and competitions quite daunting. From formatting to bios to fees, there can be a lot of hoops to jump through and I thought it might be useful to walk you through the process.

What Goes into a Submission?

When you’re preparing work to send out into the world, you will need to put together a package of information comprising some, or all, of the following:

• Your work, presented in accordance with the competition or journal’s Submission Guidelines;
• A short writer’s bio;
• A cover letter and/or a completed application form;
• An author’s photo;
• Competition or Submission fees (if applicable).

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.

Submitting to Poetry Competitions: Which Competition?

I’m struggling with the flu right now but the general BLEUGH has been tempered by some good news on the poetry front.

I’ve had a couple of pieces accepted for a new women-led anthology on bodily autonomy, edited by poet and academic, Kathy D’Arcy, and due to be published by New Binary Press in the Spring. We have a historic referendum coming up in 2018, to repeal the 8^th Amendment which compromises women’s healthcare in Ireland, and I’m proud to be among a chorus of voices writing about this important issue.

I’ve also had poems shortlisted and commended in a couple of competitions – the Doolin Writers’ Weekend Poetry Competition and the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize 2018.

A writer recently asked me, ‘What makes a good competition poem?’ As many of you read this blog for the monthly poetry competitions and submissions list, I thought it might be useful to talk a little bit about submitting work to competitions. I’m no expert but there are certain boxes I like to tick when deciding whether to enter a competition and what poems to send.

Why Submit to Competitions?

For me, it started with not being very confident and wanting to get a sense of whether the poems were any good – did they stand up to scrutiny? I submitted to competitions rather than journals because they are anonymous. I didn’t want to be submitting work over and over to an editor who (in my mind) would roll their eyes and exclaim, ‘Not this eejit again!’. Rejection is a big part of the process of writing and the competition route seemed a gentler introduction to disappointment.

I was very lucky to bag a win early on – a micro-poetry competition – word for word, my best pay-day to date! That early success encouraged me to keep writing and to keep submitting.

I do think it’s a good idea to ask yourself what you want to get out of the experience. It rarely leads to wealth or glory but don’t despair – I have a few ideas about why it might still be worth your while!

Which Competitions?

This is a tricky one. Some competitions are hugely prestigious and attract thousands of entries from around the world. As a rule of thumb, the higher the prize money, the bigger the draw. It means your work will be read alongside – and have to hold its own against – established and extensively published writers.

These competitions are highly competitive. It doesn’t mean younger writers can’t win, especially if they have been writing seriously for a few years and have established a track record of good work, but if you’ve only written a handful of poems then these competitions are probably not a good bet. The idea of winning a major prize as a novice writer is seductive but, generally, they go to writers who have been working at their craft for years.

If you’ve yet to publish a full-length collection of poetry, look out for competitions that specifically target unpublished writers. Your work will be part of a smaller pool and be read alongside writers with a similar level of experience.

What About Competition Fees?

I also see a lot of debate online about the cost of submitting to competitions (and some journals) and how it can be a bar to lower-income poets putting their work forward.

I don’t believe competitions are money-making scams intended to exploit writers. They have legitimate costs that need to be covered – prize money, judge’s fee, administration, technical costs (eg. Web Hosting, Submittable, Paypal). Many offer discounts for multiple entries or membership. If there is a profit, generally it is being plowed back in to activities and publications that support writers. No-one is buying a yacht and retiring to the Caribbean on the back of a poetry competition!

That said, there are always exceptions. If a competition is hosted by an organisation you’ve never heard of, who doesn’t have a strong or transparent online presence and who charge an exorbitant sum for entry, then proceed with caution. Check out a few comparable competitions to establish the going rate.

I know it can seem hard that everyone pays and only a handful benefit, but I like to take a wider view. Nobody owes you anything as a writer – not publication, not prestige, nothing. When I trained as an architect, I had to absorb the cost of tools, equipment, wardrobe, membership fees – all the things I needed to present myself as a working architect. Same goes for writing. Paying to enter competitions and submit to journals is just the cost of doing business. It also helps support organisations and journals that in turn support writers – you’re contributing to a healthy literary community.

I am a low-income poet. I don’t have full-time income to rely on and this means I have to pick and choose the opportunities I pursue. I’m serious about building a body of work, so I set aside an affordable sum to invest in myself as a writer and I only enter competitions when I have work of a suitable standard.

No writer should enter every single poem they write into a competition or enter every competition out there! In one year, I might write 50-100 poems – only a handful of these will be competition standard.

IF I’M LUCKY.

With limited funds and a limited number of suitable poems, I pick my targets carefully. The odds are always against winning but there are better odds on valuable side-benefits. I look for competitions that are democratic, offering the largest number of rewards to the widest group of people.

Poetry Competition Checklist

• Is the competition run by an established organisation or journal? Making the long/shortlist of a competition held by a reputable literary organisation or journal, eg. The Poetry Society / Magma, builds credibility and increases the chances of your name/work being noticed by other editors, publishers and literary organisations, festival committees etc. It also looks good on a writing CV, if applying for literary jobs, grants or bursaries.
• Is the judge an established writer? Does the competition publish the judge’s comments? It’s an opportunity to have your work read and possibly selected / commented upon by a writer you would never have access to normally. Having a blurb about your work by an established writer can be helpful when approaching publishers and, again, it’s good for the writing CV.
• How many principal prize winners? Does the prize money go to a single winner? Look out for competitions that spread the wealth among several winners and offer acknowledgement to runners-up.
• Is there a published long/shortlist? It’s not feasible to give everyone a prize but it doesn’t cost organisers anything to publish these lists when they are an integral part of the judging process. If a competition attracts 2000 entries, your poem making it to the last 50 puts it in the top 2-3% – that’s no small achievement. Being included on a longlist, or going from the longlist to the shortlist in successive years, gives writers a boost in confidence / credibility and costs the organisers nothing. When writers pay good money to support a competition, I believe organisers should spread the love and offer as much value as possible in return.
• Will the winners / runners-up / shortlist poems be published? If the competition is run by a reputable journal, it may also offer publication/payment to the top entries, eg. Mslexia Women’s Poetry Competition, Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize. Some competitions offer publication in an anthology. Publication in a reputable journal is always good. I’m warier of competition anthologies. Some are highly regarded and widely read within the literary community, eg, The Forward Prize annual anthology. Others feel like another way to exploit writers, using the writers work without payment and then expecting the writer to pay for a copy of the anthology to have a record of their published work. I’d watch out for the latter. If a writer has paid to enter a competition and the organisers want to use their work for publication, the very least they should do is provide the writer with a copy of that publication. I also have a bit of a bugbear about competitions publishing the entire shortlist without paying for use of the work. Most competitions exclude poems that have been prize-winners in other competitions but if a poem is commended or makes it to the shortlist, it might easily do better in another competition with a different judge or be submitted for publication to a journal. The only thing that would prevent it being sent out again is publication.
• Will there be a prize-giving or reading? Many competitions are held by literary festivals to coincide with and help promote their main event, eg. Ledbury Poetry Prize. If prize-winners and runners-up (sometimes even the shortlist) are also invited to read at the festival, it’s an opportunity to meet and thank the judge, and have the work heard by a literary audience.

Sometimes, I’ll forego one or more of these. For example, if it’s a judge whose work I particularly admire and it would mean a lot to me to have my worked chosen by them. As a writer, it’s up to you to decide what’s important to you and hold yourself to that standard.

All of this is conditional on the poems being good enough to hold their own in a competition. I’ve written more than I intended about the competitions themselves, so I’ll save what makes a competition-worthy poem for the next post.

In the meantime, is there anything I’ve missed? What things do you consider when deciding whether or not to enter a competition? Please leave a comment below.

NB. I live in Ireland and these thoughts are based on my experience of the UK/Irish literary scene. I’d also love to hear thoughts about submitting to competitions in other parts of the world.

Photo by Gratisography