Deadline: July 31, 2022
About the contest
The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is an opportunity for any young person aged 11-17 to accelerate their writing career. Since it was founded in 1998, the Award has kick-started the career of some of today’s most exciting new voices, such as Sarah Howe, Jay Bernard, Helen Mort, Richard Osmond, Caroline Bird, Phoebe Stuckles, and many more poets from across the world. With entries from over 6,775 young people last year from across the UK and worldwide, it is the largest competition of its kind and its importance is widely attested.
Each year, 100 winners (85 commendations and 15 top Winners) are chosen by two high-profile poets and receive their awards at an annual prize-giving event in October. Thanks to funding from the Foyle Foundation, the competition remains completely free to enter and we are able to offer a wide range of prizes, opportunities, and resources. Winners receive amazing prizes including membership of The Poetry Society and a stack of poetry goodies. Winners also attend a week-long intensive Arvon writing course, where they develop their creative writing skills alongside fellow poets or benefit from poetry residencies at their school or distance-mentoring depending on their age and location.
Submission guidelines
- You must be aged 11-17 on the closing date of the 31st July 2022 in order to enter.
- Individuals may enter more than one poem. However, we strongly advise that you concentrate on drafting and redrafting your poems and send only a selection of your very best. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
- The competition is free to enter and poems can be of any length and on any theme.
- Your work is accepted on the basis that this will be its first publication anywhere in the world. This includes:
- anthologies, magazines, solo collections, school prints, school newsletters;
- online, including blogs and online magazines;
- social media such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram;
- poems cannot have been broadcast on any regional, national or online TV station or via any radio platform.
- Poems cannot have won any other competition.
- Poems must be the original work of the author (we do run checks for plagiarism on all selected poems).
- Poems must be written in English, but you can include phrases in your mother tongue or another language. If you would like to enter an entry in British Sign Language or Braille then please contact [email protected].
- You may not enter a poem written by more than one author.
- Entries will be accepted from anywhere in the world. (Please note that we are unable to cover international travel fees for winners to attend the award ceremony but we can contribute some travel costs towards the Arvon course.)
- Competition entries cannot be returned under any circumstances. Please make sure you keep a record of all poems entered and send copies only.
- Entries will NOT be accepted via email. If you would like to enter online, please continue through the online system on this website or email [email protected] if you are having problems with your submission.
- By entering this competition, entrants agree that their poems and data may be used by The Poetry Society, including for research purposes. Occasionally The Poetry Society works with academic and cultural partners to produce academic research. By entering this competition, you are also agreeing that your anonymised data and poems can be used in such research.
- If you are 11-12, your parent or guardian will need to give permission for you to enter. Without this permission we are not allowed to keep information about you, such as your contact details. This is because of data protection rules. Permission can be given online or by sending in the parent or guardian permission form.
- Teachers, librarians and youth leaders do not have to use the permission form, but should comply with their own organisation’s GDPR policy. If you have any questions please contact The Poetry Society on [email protected] or 020 7420 9885 and we will be happy to help.
- The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into concerning this decision.
- All online entries must be received by midnight BST on the 31st July 2022. Late online entries will not be accepted under any circumstances.
- All postal entries must be post-dated on or before the 31st July 2022. Late postal entries will not be accepted under any circumstances.
- Due to the large number of entrants we are unable to respond individually to submissions.
- No acknowledgment of receipt can be made for postal entries unless a stamped, self-addressed envelope is included with the entry.
