Competitions

Competitions can be a great way to get into reading, discussing and writing poetry.

This section lists a variety of annual or current writing competitions that are open to children and young people.

Explore below to find out more...

A selection of annual or current competitions

• Inspired? Get Writing! (all ages)
• The Pushkin Prizes Scotland (S1-S2)
• The Green Pencil Award (Edinburgh) (P4-P7)
• Young Muslim Writers Awards 2010 (ages 5+)
• The John Betjeman Young People's Poetry Competition (ages 10-13)
• The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award (ages 11-17)
• The Christopher Tower Poetry Competition (ages 16-18)
• T S Eliot Prize Shadowing Scheme (ages 16-18)

Inspired? Get Writing! Creative writing competition

The competition is run by the National Galleries of Scotland, English-Speaking Union and Scottish Poetry Library, and is supported by The Scotsman.

Entrants write a short poem or piece of prose inspired by one of the works in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland.

The work may be selected from any of the NGS galleries (The National Gallery of Scotland, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, The Dean Gallery, The Royal Scottish Academy, Duff House and Paxton House). Images of many of the works can be accessed through the NGS website, www.nationalgalleries.org in the section 'Online Collections'.

Entries to one of five categories:

Under 12 years
12 - 14 years
15 - 18 years
Unpublished adults
Published adults

Closing dates for entries: mid-late January each year

For more information, including rules and entry form, visit: www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competition/6:3740/19851/

The Pushkin Prizes in Scotland

The Pushkin Prize Guidelines are sent each August to every local authority secondary school in Scotland, inviting pupils in S1 and S2 to begin preparing their folio for the December deadline.

The Pushkin Prizes in Scotland include a unique category – The Special Endeavour Award – for S1 and S2 pupils who receive additional support with their reading and/or writing. The winner of this category is included in the party attending Prize-winners Week.

The Pushkin Prizes anthology is published each autumn to showcase the winning entries.

Ten winners (including two from the parallel competition in St Petersburg) will be selected to join a residential creative writing course in May at the Arvon Foundation Moniack Mhor Writers' Centre near Inverness, where they will be tutored by two professional writers. Previous tutors have included Scottish writers Gerry Cambridge, Diana Hendry and Catherine MacPhail.

A free place is made available for a teacher to attend the Prizewinners Week at the Arvon Foundation Moniack Mhor Writers' Centre.

The Pushkin Prizes are supported by a website, www.pushkinprizes.net, which includes a valuable section called Writing Tips featuring guidance, and advice from such well-known writers as Gill Arbuthnott, Stewart Conn, Gillian Cross, Jamila Gavin, and Robert Crawford. The website includes previous winning folios and photographs of the most recent residential course.

For further information, visit the web site: www.pushkinprizes.net or contact the Director, Lindsey Fraser.

Email: lindsey.fraser@tiscali.co.uk
Tel: 0131 553 2759

The Pushkin Prizes in Scotland were founded by the current Chair, Lady Butter CVO, the great great granddaughter of the Russian writer and poet, Alexander Sergei Pushkin.

The Green Pencil Award (Edinburgh)

Organised by Edinburgh Libraries and Eco-Schools in Edinburgh, this is a creative writing competition for children in P4, P5, P6 and P7. 

Check out www.edinburgh.gov.uk/greenpencilaward for full information.

Young Muslim Writers Awards

Muslim Writers Awards invites submissions from Muslim writers between the ages of 5 and 16.

The Muslim Writers Awards was set up to showcase and celebrate the very best of literary talent from Muslims across the UK. The initiative works with public and private sector partners, and the annual televised awards event plays host to some of the most well-known and influential people from across the social, political and business arena.

Throughout the year, MWA also works closely with schools, literary agents and publishers to provide opportunities for emerging writers.

If you would like your school to participate please contact Asma Khanom, Project Coordinator on 0203 246 0015 or email asma@muslimwritersawards.org.uk  for an MWA U16s pack.

To download entry forms and to view submission criteria please visit http://muslimwritersawards.org.uk/submit-work/young-muslim-writers-awards.

The John Betjeman Young People's Poetry Competition

Established by the family of former Poet Laureate, the John Betjeman Poetry Competition seeks to foster a love of poetry in young people.  It is our aim to support literacy and creativity, encouraging children aged 10-13 to explore the world they see around them through rhythm and language.

"This new prize is a great way to honour a great poet while simultaneaously introducing young people to the thrill of poetry." Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate.

Find out more at the John Betjeman web site: www.betjemanpoetrycompetition.com

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

The annual Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is a prestigious prize for any young poet aged 11-17. It offers a huge array of exciting prizes from publication in the Foyle Young Poets anthology to a week-long writing course at the Arvon Centre in Shropshire, plus a poet visit to the winner's school, books, Poetry Society membership and Young Writer magazine subscription.

For more information go to www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/fyp

And if you want some inspiration for next year take a look at this: http://tinyurl.com/nh4bxj

If you are a teacher and have some budding young poets in your class, the Poetry Society has many resources to help you, including video lesson plans. To order sets of anthologies featuring winners' poems to inspire your class to get involved email fyp@poetrysociety.org.uk.

Christopher Tower Poetry Competition 

This annual competition is open to 16-18 year olds in UK schools and colleges and offers them the opportunity to win up to £3,000 and gain a place at the popular Tower Poetry Summer School, where they can develop their writing skills alongside top poets and tutors.

First Prize £3,000
Second Prize £1,000
Third Prize £500
Commended £250
Every winner also wins a prize for their school, and is automatically eligible to enter the Tower Poetry Summer School.
 
To download entry forms go to: www.towerpoetry.org.uk/prize
Telephone 01865 286591
Email info@towerpoetry.org.uk
Write to Tower Poetry, Christ Church, St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1DP
You can also find them on Facebook - search under 'tower poetry'.

The Tower Prize is funded by a bequest from the late Christopher Tower to Christ Church, Oxford, and forms a significant part of an ongoing programme to encourage sixth-form students in every educational environment to enjoy reading poetry and to gain the confidence to discover and develop their own writing skills.

T S Eliot Prize Shadowing Scheme 

A great way to introduce secondary school pupils to the best in contemporary poetry.

The T S Eliot Prize Shadowing Scheme provides an excellent opportunity for students aged 16-18 to engage with the best new poetry by shadowing the judges of the T S Eliot Prize for Poetry. Two poems from ten collections shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize will be available to download from www.poetrybooks.co.uk from late October.

The Shadowing Scheme is run by the Poetry Book Society in collaboration with the English and Media Centre. We hope that students will be encouraged to read the poems and to take part in a poll to vote for their choice of winner. There will also be a competition for individual 'A' level students to write the best 500 word rationale for their choice of poet.

Prizes for the winning student include tickets to the T S Eliot Readings and the award ceremony the following January, with the chance to meet the winning poet, and a complete set of the 10 shortlisted titles.

For further details, please visit the Poetry Book Society website at www.poetrybooks.co.uk from early October. The Scheme will start later in October and a teachers' guide will be available on the emagazine website at www.emagazine.org.uk.