Open Poetry Competition
Here’s a chance for poets worldwide to show off their talents and enter our Open Poetry 2025 competition. There’s a top prize of £1,000, with prizes of £500 and £250 for second and third-placed winners. There is also £100 for the best entry in the category for a local poet. Competitions open on 1 April and close on 30 June.
Open Poetry Judge 2025
Camille Ralphs
Camille has just had her first full collection of poems published by Faber & Faber, titled After You Were, Here I Am. Her work embodies themes of miracles and magic beginning with a reimagining of the Common Book of Prayer. In Malkin she gives voice to the women accused of witchcraft in the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, while a third section revisits Elizabethan occultist John Dee. Camille is poetry editor of the Times Literary Supplement and teaches at the University of Oxford.
Competitions open 1 April 2025
Competitions open 1 April and close at midnight on 30 June 2025.
Prize Giving and Poetry Reading take place on Monday 20 October starting at 2pm as part of the Festival.
Please read the rules and terms and conditions before submitting your entry.