Welcome to the Welsh Poetry Competition website.
The 2024 Competition
1st Prize Once Upon A Time – Gill Learner (Reading, UK)
2nd Prize The Chariot – Theophilus Kwek (Singapore)
3rd Prize To Poison – Sue Davies (Catisfield, UK)
To see the highly commended and read the winning poems – click here.
Previous Winners
To see all our past winners – click here.
Other News
If you are an indie writer or self-published poet and have a full-length poetry collection in paperback then why not take a look at the Poetry Book Awards. This international contest is seeking poetry from small, independent presses and offers cash prizes as well as many other benefits.
To help support local poets and indie book shops we have set up the Welsh Book Shop. More books and writers are to be added as time goes on.
We have also created a Writers of Wales database. This long overdue A to Z resource aims to highlight all the great authors in the country and not just the chosen few. Now up ‘For Sale’ – click here to find out more.
Poetry Anthology
The Third One – now available!
Almost all the winners from the last five years of the contest, 2017-2021.
With thousands of entries from forty countries in the world we are firmly established on the global literary scene and each year we publish some of the best modern poetry there is.
After fifteen years of running the contest not only are we here to stay but we look forward with confidence to the next five years and yet more awesome poetry heading our judges’ way.
To get your hands on a copy – click here.
Newsletter
If you would like to be added to our mailing list just click the link below and we shall let you know when we update the website, announce winners and launch the next competition. We also offer writing tips, marketing ideas, author quotes, free poems and self-publishing news.
Our previous newsletters for the poetry competition and our self-publishing company are now combined so you get fewer emails. We usually send one email a month and you can unsubscribe at any time.
International Welsh Poetry Competition uses MailChimp for our newsletters, they are GDPR compliant and we never give your e-mail address to anyone else.
Anthologies
We have two fantastic anthologies available containing all the winning poems from the first ten years of the competition.
The First Five Years anthology contains over 100 previous competition winners (2007-2011) plus judges’ comments by John Evans, Mike Jenkins and Sally Spedding.
Now available direct from us at a special offer price of just £5.99 (free postage).
Our second book – Ten Years On – contains all the winners from the five years (2012-2016) along with the judges’ comments by John Evans, Sally Spedding and Eloise Williams.
Available from the publishers for £8.99 plus postage.
Our third book – The Third One – contains almost all the winners from the last five years (2017-2021) along with the judges’ comments by Kathy Miles, Sally Spedding and Mike Jenkins.
Available from the publishers for £10 plus postage.
If you would be interested in buying a copy and helping to support the competition click here for more details.
Publication
Why not check out Publish & Print – a new self-publishing company based in south Wales that offers poets and writers an affordable yet professional service for those wishing to join the self-publishing revolution?
To find out more – click here.
Feel free to join the ‘Welsh Writers’ Facebook Group and post your poems for the world to see and judge, or just chat about poetry or the competition click here.
Note: You will need your own Facebook account to join in.
To follow us on X
Note: You will need your own Twitter (X) account to join in.
Funding
We should remind you that the competition is funded purely by the organisers & entrants and we receive no grants, bursaries or funding from the Arts Council of Wales, Literature Wales, Welsh Books Council, RCTCBC or any other external agencies whatsoever.
If any libraries, writing groups, small presses, Facebook groups, indie authors, Twitter followers, schools, universities, self-published poets, arts organisations, independent publishers, poetry workshops, bookshops, art galleries, councils etc. would like more information please let us know. You can email us or write to us at the usual address.
To read the rules – click here.
Thank you
All images copyright © Dave Lewis apart from:
Hi
I would like to enter a couple of new poems but I would also like to read them at an open mic in Llantwit Major in a couple of weeks. Does an open mic count as publication under your rules?
Cheers
Hi Paul
Yes, I’m afraid technically that would count as “published” as people would know the work, however I won’t be at the event so if you don’t tell us…
Cheers Dave
Hello,
Am I allowed to enter a poem with welsh words in it? I only ask because the entry rules say the poem must be in english. It would be, but with welsh locations and single words in welsh. Is this allowed?
Best,
Yes, a few Welsh words is great 🙂
Great competition. Just bought the third anthology – wow, such great poets we have here in Wales. Keep up the good work.
Just bought the new anthology – wow! What a book. Amazing poems from some of the best poets in the UK and beyond. Highly recommended.
Dear Dave, is there any chance of the 2021 Competition Winners clickable list staying up for a few more weeks or months ? To 9th October, say, or longer? I know people who want to go on the Winners list and read the poems, and not just mine but others’too. Mine is 13th on the Winners page, title A Mural for ‘Kitty’ Wilkinson.
Yes of course, although when I publish the 3rd anthology I will remove links.
Cheers Dave 🙂
Really great site.
Who won this competition and when next competition will be held?
Winners are on winners page, next contest is shown on this page, entry page and winners page 🙂
When is the next competition? 🙂
And congrats to the winner!
1st March 2020 🙂
when is the next competition please and how do i enter.
thanks.
Matt
Hi Matt
I’d suggest signing up to our newsletter to keep in touch with things, but probably 1st Feb 2019 🙂
Cheers Dave
Nice initiative
Sad to hear of Literature Wales’ appalling treatment of the competition. Just goes to show how backward these people are. This awesome contes is known throughout the world for discovering truly amazing poets and these idiots can’t see they need to be supporting it both financially and marketing-wise. And people wonder why Wales is so poor. Very sad. Keep up the good work Dave, maybe they’ll knight you in the alternative honours one day, heh heh.
Thanks Paul, yes it is a shame they don’t want to be involved in such a great contest. We also note that none of ‘their’ writers seem to enter which makes you wonder… Appreciate the sentiment but as Keith Richards said, no foreign inbred is coming near me with a sword, lol 🙂
Great competition, great poets, keep up the good work!!
Mike (poet)
Great website and great competition – keep up the good work!
Thank you for my ‘mention’ in your poetry competition. It is much appreciated. It will be great to read the winners in full.
Can I assume that your 2017 poetry comp. results will be available approximately by mid July again?
Thanks for letting me know – I looked everywhere on your literature and couldn’t find a date but got a clur from reading these readers comments/queries.
Hi Pat
Hopefully by end of July / early August 🙂
Cheers Dave
Hi Dave, does each poem need to be a separate attachment? Or can several be placed in one document for email, each with a separate page and title of course!
Hi James
No, one file is fine, either way is OK though 🙂
Dave
Welsh poetry prize – sounds great – shades of my fave, Dylan Thomas.
Not that I’m actually Welsh – but still …..
PS how does one download or obtain entry form ??
Just click on the entry page and scroll down, or email me 🙂
Please can you let me know when the closing date for this competition is please?
Hi Pat
Closing date is: Sunday 29th May 2016 🙂
Dave
This is an awesome competition, keep it up 🙂
Can you advise are there any poetry competitions in Wales or nationally for children aged between 12 and 14. Thanks
Don’t know of specific ‘young’ competitions, although we certainly are open to everyone, as can be seen from our lists of winners. Scroll down lists here:
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/winners-2007/ (Joshua, aged 6)
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/winners-2008/ (Megan, aged 10)
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/winners-2010/ (Jeno, aged 13)
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/winners-2014/ (Matilda)
🙂
Great competition, hope you’ll do even better in 2016 – 10 years eh! Great achievement Dave, Welsh literature owes you a debt of gratitude 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Hello,
I have entered four poems for your competition this year. Two of these poems I had submitted for consideration elsewhere back in January, and have since discovered that one is being published and another may be published at the end of July. I had assumed that, having not heard back for over four months, it would be acceptable to submit. I apologise for this, as I appreciate this can cause issues and/or be a waste of time. I notice that you have previously advised mid-July as the date they can not be published before? Please advise on how best to resolve the situation.
Many thanks,
Aoife
Hi
It’s always a tricky one, and we use the standard rule that says poems should not be previously published. Can’t go back on that one, but if someone submits in more than one place we’re happy to publish first… and as luck would have it we’ll be ready to announce winners before mid-July 🙂
Cheers Dave
I’ve just sent off an entry to you. However it’s annoying when competition organisers aren’t clear about dates by which winners or shortlisted writers etc will be informed, so that ‘serial-competition-enterers” will know when their work is free to send out again. Even something like ‘early May’ or ‘April 30th ’on your rules and info sheet would be great. Could you please consider this for future. And if you can, can you let me know (even approximate) when the results will be? Thanks, Noel
We don’t announce the ‘exact’ winners date, or the date for any prize night, until we’ve had all entries in. We only have one judge and as our judges read every single poem it is impossible to know how long that will take until we have a good idea of how many poems we might receive. Unlike many competitions who use so-called ‘filter judges’ to discard 90% of entrants poems before the main judge even sees them, we do not. That is why we believe we are more honest and fair.
If you want to enter your poems elsewhere that is fine with us, as long as they are not published before our winners date. We will still publish (as per our rules) if they win a prize. So, to this end, we can give you an approx. date – mid-July for results.
Can a 15 year old enter the poetry competition
Yes, the competition is open to all. See our winners pages. We’ve had specially commended winners in 2014, 2010, 2008 and 2007 from under 18’s. 🙂
This is a great competition! Honest, anonymous judging and brave enough to publish the maddest/baddest poets out there! Keep up the good work!
Thanks 🙂
Hi, can’t find your postal address for entries?
All the best, Pete
See here: http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/entry/
do the winning poem get published anywhere or is it just prize money they win
Yes, published on the site, plus we send to local and national media, plus as it states in rules, we publish in a future anthology.
Look here:
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/about/
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/rules/
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/anthologies/
I’ve learnt some good stuff here. Definitely be entering this year!
Judges comments for 2014 now online 🙂
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/winners-2014/
I’ve been involved with theatre recently and looking forward to getting back to poetry making. Currently working on something for this competition. Hope it comes together in time. Such a high standard to aspire to.
Theatre? Try http://www.asking4itproductions.co.uk ?
Just read that:
‘Literature Wales regrets to announce that the Cardiff International Poetry Competition will not take place in 2015. The competition has in the past received generous financial support from Cardiff Council, however, in light of increased pressures on Council budgets, we have been informed that this funding is no longer available.’
However, our international poetry competition is still here and growing stronger and stronger every year. So please pass this on to your writer friends! 🙂
Tried to email you but bounced back? Entry here – http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/entry
I would like to receive your entry form and any information you may have on the annual poetry festival.
Thank you
Sam
When and where do we send in entries for this years competition ?
Competition will launch Feb 1st so call back then 🙂
http://www.welshpoetry.co.uk/entry/
Nice site, improvement on the old one I think. Look forward to this year’s competition and all the wonderful entries.
Great new design, love it. Keep up the good work, a great competition with great judges and some fab winners!
This is a great site, and I’m honoured to be once again part of this truly open and democratic Welsh Poetry Competition which goes from strength to strength.
Happy New Year
Welcome to our new website. Feel free to post a comment!
Dave 🙂