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P=Poetry, N=Nonfiction, F=Fiction
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P – The 2024 Waltham Forest Poetry Competition. Theme: Friendship
FRIENDS! We declare the 2024 Waltham Forest Poetry Competition is now OPEN! Send your poems on the theme of ‘Friendship’ and who knows? Our judge Jacqueline Saphra could be picking your work of art out as the winner. Main prize £400, and lots of other lovely prizes too.
Send us up to 6 poems of 40 lines maximum per poem (not including title) on the theme of FRIENDSHIP – we hope the theme allows for a variety of interpretations but you can interpret it any way you want. PLEASE read the rules before you enter. We’re offering over a thousand pounds in prizes in total. Entry fee for adults is from £3 and it’s FREE entry for young poets under the age of 18. CLOSING DATE IS MONDAY 14 OCTOBER 2024.
The competition is open to everyone (UK and international). There are Adult and Young Poet prizes, plus separate Waltham Forest local prizes for people who live, work or study in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. There’s also a prize for the funniest poem overall.
The top three poems in each category, plus the funniest poem, plus a number of Commended poets, will be published on our website. Our awards ceremony will be held at the Trades Hall, Walthamstow, London on Tuesday 10 December 2024 where all winners and Commended poets will be invited to read their winning poem/s and our judge will also perform.
Adult prizes (18 or over)
Entry fee: 1st poem £3, subsequent poems in the same submission £1 – up to 6 poems in total, 40 lines maximum per poem (not including title). Poets who live, work or study in Waltham Forest will also be automatically included in the Waltham Forest local prize for no additional fee.
- Main prize: 1st £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100.
- Waltham Forest prize (sponsored by The Stow Brothers): 1st £50, 2nd £30, and 3rd £20
Young poet prizes (under 18)
No entry fee. Send up to 6 poems in total, 40 lines maximum per poem (not including title). Poets who live or study in Waltham Forest will also be automatically included in the Waltham Forest local prize.
- Main Prize: 1st £50, 2nd £30, 3rd £20.
- Waltham Forest prize (sponsored by The Stow Brothers) for poets living or studying in Waltham Forest: 1st £50, 2nd £30, and 3rd £20.
There will be a separate prize for the funniest poem, which should also be on the main theme, whether from an adult or a young person, and the winner will receive £100. The judges are Paul McGrane and Barry Coidan.
Rules
Poems must be 40 lines maximum, not including the title.
Send no more than 6 poems in total.
Adults should pay for entry (either by Eventbrite, cheque or directly into our bank account), then email or post their poems. Young poets don’t need to pay so please email or post your poems without payment.
Poems should be on the theme of FRIENDSHIP – though we’ll leave it to you how you interpret the theme.
The judge will read all poems entered into the competition. The judge’s decision is final and neither the judge nor anyone associated with the running of the competition will enter into any correspondence.
Poems are judged anonymously, so please don’t put your name or any identifying information on your poems.
At the time of entering the competition, you must be 18 or over to enter the Adult prize and under 18 to enter the Young Poets prize.
Under no circumstances can alterations be made to poems once entered.
No one associated with the running of the competition is eligible to enter.
Poems must be typed, in English, and the original work of the entrant. Poems generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be be accepted.
Poems must not be previously published or self-published (including online), broadcast, accepted for publication elsewhere, or the translated work of another poet. If your poem is currently appearing on your social media pages, please delete it before submitting it to our competition.
Simultaneous submissions are NOT accepted. Please don’t send us your poems if you have already sent them to another competition or publication and you’re waiting for the result.
Due to the sheer volume of entries, only successful entrants will be notified. Details of the full winners list will be announced publicly on our website after the awards ceremony in December 2024.
How to enter
- The easiest way for Adults to pay is via our EVENTBRITE page (Young Poets can ignore this step as entries for under 18s are free – simply email or post your poems as directed below).
- Then put all your poems in one document, making sure your name is nowhere on the document and email your entry to poetrycompetition@yahoo.com with COMPETITION in the subject line. (We accept Word, odt, or pdf documents).
- Include in the body of the email:
- your name
- your address
- title/s of your poem/s
- add ‘LOCAL’ if you live, work or study in the borough of Waltham Forest
- add ‘YOUNG POET’ if you’re under 18
If paying by cheque, address your envelope to Waltham Forest Poetry Competition, 82 Somers Road, London E17 6RS. Entries to the Adult competition should be accompanied by a cheque payable to ‘Forest Poets’. We can’t accept debit/credit card payment. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like confirmation that we have received your poems. On a separate piece of paper from the poem/s, enter your name, address, daytime contact number and email (if you have one), and the poem title/s. This will ensure that poems are judged anonymously. Please don’t use staples on your manuscripts and don’t put any identifying details on the poems.
You can also pay directly into our bank account – please state that your payment is for the Waltham Forest Poetry Competition.
Account Name: Forest Poets
Account Number: 51602934
Sort Code: 40-02-02Any questions? Email poetrycompetition@yahoo.com