New Writers Poetry Competition 2026
NewWriters
📌 About the Competition
The New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 is an international contest run by NewWriters.org.uk. It welcomes poets from anywhere in the world, with no restrictions on theme, subject matter, or poetic style. It serves as an excellent platform for both emerging and established poets to gain international visibility.
📅 Key Timelines & Notification Dates
- Submission Deadline: July 15, 2026, at 23:59 UK time
- Results & Shortlist Announcement: No later than Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (notified directly via email, the newsletter, and published on the website).
🎛️ Technical Specifications & Rules
- Word/Line Limit: Maximum of 42 lines (this limit excludes the poem’s title and any formatting line spaces).
- Content Integrity: Work must be entirely your own and previously unpublished.
- Strict AI Ban: You must explicitly check a box confirming that no AI tools or large language models were used during the writing of your poem(s).
- Supported File Types: Microsoft Word Document (.doc/.docx) or PDF.
⚖️ Head Judge & Philanthropy
- Head Judge: JLM Morton (Juliette Morton), an award-winning poet, editor, and educator. Her debut collection Red Handed was highly commended by the Forward Prizes, and her second collection, Borrowed Ground, is slated for publication in August 2026.
- Charitable Impact:10% of all competition proceeds will be split equally and donated to two UK-registered charities:
- Duchenne UK (funding research for treatments and a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy).
- The Funzi & Bodo Trust (supporting healthcare and educational projects in Kenya).
🏆 Prize Fund Matrix
- 🥇 1st Place Grand Prize: £1,000 cash + publication on the website + inclusion in the next New Writers Anthology.
- 🥈 Runners-Up (4 Positions): £100 cash each + website publication + inclusion in the next New Writers Anthology.
💳 Tiered Entry Fee Structure
Fees must be paid upfront in a single transaction via PayPal (which accepts PayPal accounts or standard Debit/Credit cards).
| Number of Poems | Total Cost | Breakdown per Poem |
| 1 Poem | £10 | £10.00 |
| 2 Poems | £18 | £9.00 |
| 3 Poems | £26 | £8.66 |