The National Poetry Competition

Established in 1978, the Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition (UK) is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious poetry contests. The judges this year are Vicki Feaver, W.N. Herbert and Nick Laird. 

Winners include both established and emerging poets, and for many the prize has proved an important career milestone. The prizes are: £5,000 for the overall winner, £2,000 for the second, £1,000 for the third, with seven commendations of £100. 

The deadline is 31 October. Enter online or download an entry form here. 

You can check out the top three winning poems from 2011 on the Poetry Society's website here where they have added some discussion points to each.