Some £5,000 in prize money is on offer in the National Poetry Competition.

Entrants must be aged more than 17 years.

Entry fee is £5 for the first poem then £3 for each subsequent entry.

The winner will read at the Ledbury Poetry Festival 2009. Judges are Frieda Hughes, Jack Mapanje and Brian Patten.

Poems must not exceed 40 lines. Entries must be in English. Poems must not have been previously published, self-published or published on a website or broadcast before March 30, 2009.

The competition is open to non-UK applicants.

An entry form must accompany entries. Poems may be on any subject.

Winners and commended poets will be notified on or by February 28, 2009. The winners will be published in Aesthetica Magazine, Poetry Review and on the Poetry Society website in Spring 2009.

Copyright of each poem remains with the author. Authors of the winning poems will grant the Poetry Society the right to publish or broadcast the poems for one year from March 2009. Other uses of the poem during this time are subject to permission by the Poetry Society.

Closing date for entries is October 31, 2008.
See: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/npc/npcrules

Cool, thanks for posting these Em!

It's meant to say 'national' but you probably knew that... This is why I won't be entering!

I might have a go, haven't entered a competition in a while!

Yeah it does sound quite good! And £5000 in prize money sounds really good!

£5000 definately sounds good, I might give it a go too!

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