Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition

Ware Poets are delighted to announce their 27th annual Open Poetry Competition with prizes for the best poems and the best sonnet.

First prize £800 * Second prize £400 * Third prize £200 * Sonnet prize £200

The competition is open to everyone - avid poets and first-time writers!

Poems must be in English, be your own original work and no longer than 50 lines. Entry is £5 per poem and the closing date is 30th April 2025. Poems can be submitted and paid for online or by post – full details on the Ware Poets website.

The judge for this year’s competition is local poet, Hannah Copley. Hannah is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Westminster and a poetry editor at Stand magazine. Her 2024 collection 'Lapwing' won second prize in the national Laurel Prize and was shortlisted for the prestigious T S Eliot Prize.

All winning and commended poems will be published in the Ware Poets 2025 Anthology, with a complimentary copy to each published poet. Further copies will be available to order from mid-July 2025.

The prize-winning poems will be featured on the Ware Poets website, and the poem that wins first prize will be entered for the Forward Prize for Poetry.

All prize-winning and commended poets will also be invited to read their poem at the prize-giving evening on Friday 11th July 2025 at Southern Maltings Arts Centre, Ware, when Hannah will award the prizes and give a reading of her poems. As with all Ware Poets events, everyone is welcome to attend.

Full details of the competition are on the Ware Poets website.

Ware Poets meet monthly at Southern Maltings in Ware to enjoy poetry in a relaxed and friendly environment. Everyone is always welcome, whether to read a poem or to enjoy listening. https://warepoets.org/

For further information, please contact: warepoets@gmail.com

For more information visit https://warepoets.org/competition-2025