We recommend all entrants read the rules carefully before entering. If you have any questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Rules: General

1. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over at the time of entering. International entries are welcome.
2. The closing date of the competition is midnight (GMT UK time), 31 October 2025.
3. There is no limit on the number of entries a single entrant can make. All entries will be considered anonymously by the judges.
4. Entries will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
5. Under no circumstances can alterations be made to poems once entered.
6. Online entries made via the website will receive automatic confirmation at the time of submission.
7. Telephone or email confirmation of receipt is not available. Poetry Society staff are unable to confirm the content of documents submitted online, so please ensure you send the correct version.
8. The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel without notice and not to award prizes if, in the judges’ opinion, such an action is justified.
9. The judges read all the entries; their decision is final. Neither the judges nor Poetry Society staff will enter into any correspondence.
10. No current employee or Trustee of The Poetry Society is eligible to enter the National Poetry Competition.

Rules: Poems

1. All entries are judged anonymously and the poet’s name must not appear on the poem itself.
2. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title). Entries can be on any subject.
3. Poems must be written in English.
4. Poems must be the entrant’s original work. AI-generated work is prohibited.
5. Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on a website or made public on social media, broadcast or featured among the winners in another competition before 31 March 2026.

Rules: Fees

1. The first poem submitted costs £8. Subsequent entries in the same submission cost £6 per poem. Poetry Society members (including those joining at time of submission) get one free second poem, with subsequent poems at £6.

Rules: Winners

1. Prizewinners will be notified by the end of February 2026 and invited to an awards event in spring 2026. All winners will be expected to provide a biography and photograph.
2. All entrants who provide a valid email address will be notified about the outcome of their entry by the end of March 2026.
3. The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, authors of the winning poems, by entering the competition, grant The Poetry Society the right in perpetuity to publish and/or broadcast their poem. Use of the poems elsewhere for one year from March 2026 is subject to permission from The Poetry Society.