The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for individual unpublished poems. The prize is open to anyone over 16, and each year attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.

1^st PRIZE €6,000
3 RUNNER-UP PRIZES OF €1,000
8 COMMENDED PRIZES OF €250

The prize is judged anonymously by a single poet each year. Past judges include Claudia Rankine, Marie Howe, Deborah Landau, Daljit Nagra, Leontia Flynn, Billy Collins, Nick Laird, Warsan Shire, Hannah Sullivan, Fiona Benson and Nobel Laureate Louise Glück.

Past winners include Laurie Bolger, Lance Larsen, Aniqah Choudhri, Michael Lavers, Natalya Anderson, Lee Sharkey, Ann Gray (whose poem was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem) and Abigail Parry (who was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection).

The winner of The Moth Poetry Prize 2024 was American author Andrew Krivák.

‘Every writer knows what it’s like to be working alone in a room with words. And then you’re on a shortlist with fantastic poets like Naoise Gale and Anthony Lawrence and Shelley Stenhouse, all of whom know what that work and that aloneness is like. So, to be part of that, to be recognized by The Moth, and to be just one of the voices that make up their larger literary tradition, this all means a great deal to me.’ Andrew Krivák

Watch Andrew read his winning poem ‘Raccoon Baculum Good Luck Charm’

The Judge

Ishion Hutchinson, author of three poetry collections, is a recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature and the Windham-Campbell Prize for Poetry, among others. He is Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University in New York and recently published his essay collection, Fugitive Tilts, which New York Magazine described as ‘thrilling’.

‘I wouldn’t say I had or have an affinity for poetry ‒ it confounded me, plagued me, yet I felt enlarged by it, for it widened the presence of all I knew and didn’t. It was love, simply, love that you have to approach the same way Faulkner said you have to approach Joyce’s Ulysses, like the illiterate Baptist preacher approaches the Old Testament: with faith.’ Ishion Hutchinson

HOW TO ENTER

– The Prize is open to anyone (over 16) from anywhere in the world, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.

– There is no line limit, and the poems can be on any subject.

– The entry fee is €16 per poem. You can ENTER ONLINE or send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to ‘The Moth Magazine Ltd.’ with an ENTRY FORM or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of your poem(s) attached to: The Moth, Ardan Grange, Milltown, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland H14 K768.

– If you are concerned about formatting online, please go through the online process and then email your poem as a Word attachment with your entry number directly to enquiries@themothmagazine.com.**

– Please remember to READ THE RULES of the competition before you enter.

– CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2025

– You will need to SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAILING LIST if you wish to be notified of the results

– The shortlist will be announced in March 2026 and the four shortlisted poems will appear in the Irish Times online.

– The overall winner of €6,000 will be announced at a special award online in the spring of 2026.

– Call 00 353 (0)87 2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more details.

TESTIMONIALS

‘Judging The Moth Poetry Prize was a beautiful experience. I’ve come away changed ‒ inspired and hopeful.’ Warsan Shire

‘The great thing about winning with this poem is that I have actually submitted it to other competitions without success. Sometimes you have to give up on your favourites, but sometimes it is worth ignoring the feedback and sticking with your gut. I am glad I did with this poem.’ Damen O’Brien

‘What an incredible honour!’ Larsen said of winning The Moth Poetry Prize. ‘I love Wordsworth’s reminder that “the prison, into which we doom ourselves, no prison is.” As much as I love the solitude of writing, I also like to poke my head up once in a while to celebrate the communal dimensions of poetry and see that I may have a place at the table after all.’ Lance Larsen