The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition 2024 will be launched on Monday 4 March.  The competition has become a popular fixture in the poetry world attracting entries from all over the globe, last year we received a total of 553 poems. The judges this year are Luigi Marchini (Chair of SaveAs Writers), Derek Sellen (Poet of the Year 2023) and Mara Adamitz Scrupe (Dean & Professor Emerita, University of the Arts, Philadelphia and former Poet of the Year).

All the poems are judged totally anonymously, the poet’s name is not revealed to the judges.  Poems may be on any subject and in any format but no more than 60 lines long.  All entries must be accompanied by an Entry Form and a fee of £5 per poem payable by cheque or by PayPal invoice which is issued upon receipt of the entry.

From all the poems entered around 35 are chosen as the longlist and these poems appear in the Poet of the Year Anthology. The judges then choose a shortlist of around 15 poems, any of which may win the Competition. The Awards Evening is held on-line when the shortlisted poets are invited to read their work. The winners are then announced with the Poet of the Year collecting a prize of £200, second place £100, and third £50.

We welcome entries from everyone so whether you are a practised poet or have never written a verse before, but would like to, send your entries to Tina at the Festival Office. 

An Entry Form can be downloaded here

Terms and Conditions can be downloaded here