Who can enter?
The Plough Poetry Prize is an international open competition for poems in the English language. We receive entries from all over the world, from poets of all ages. Staff and Trustees of The Plough Arts Centre are ineligible to enter, along with anyone else involved in the running of the competition. Otherwise, entry is open to everyone.
Poems can be on any subject. They must be no longer than 40 lines (excluding blank lines and the title, if it has one). They must not have been published, nor can they have won any other poetry prize.
How do I enter?
We strongly encourage online entry. Please use the online entry form here.
Postal entry is also available. You can find details here.
How much does it cost to enter?
The entry fee is £5 per poem for online entries.
The entry fee is £6 per poem for postal entries. This helps to cover the additional administrative costs of receiving and processing postal entries and payment.
When will results be announced?
Winners will be contacted by email, and the winning poems, plus long and short lists, will be published on this site by 27th May 2025.
Why can't I put my name on my poems?
The competition is judged anonymously, i.e., the judges have no idea who wrote the poems they are reading. That means that they can't be influenced by an entrant's reputation (or lack of it), even subconsciously, nor by any clues in your name about, for example, your gender, age or nationality. This protects the integrity of the judging process, ensuring that all poems are judged solely on their quality.
When we receive your entry, each poem will be assigned a unique identifying number. This will allow us to identify the winning poets after judging is complete.
The copyright in your poem is yours by default, so you don't need to worry about not including a copyright notice.
How is the judging carried out?
All entered poems will be read first by a diverse panel of various experts. This panel will draw up long and short lists, the length of which will vary according to the number and quality of entries.
The short list will be sent to the year's final judge, Pascale Petit, for her adjudication.
Details of the long and short lists will be published on our website.
Can I enter by email?
No. Please use the online entry form, or enter by post, as detailed above. Poems received by email will not be accepted and will not be entered into the competition.
What happens to the poems and entry forms after the competition closes?
We allow about a month after the announcement of results for any queries to be settled, then we delete and shred all the poems and entry forms. The shredded paper is recycled.
Do I retain copyright on my poem?
You retain all copyright, publishing rights and any other intellectual property rights to your poem(s).
By entering your poem(s) you grant to us - on a non-exclusive, non-commercial, royalty-free basis - the right to publish, broadcast, perform and reproduce your poem(s), worldwide and in perpetuity, for the purpose of promoting the Prize.
Will you publish the poems?
We will publish the winning poems on our website, and may publish or broadcast them in other places (on a non-commercial basis) in order to promote the Prize.
We do not usually publish an anthology of poems entered for the Prize and we currently have no plans to do so in 2025.
Will you look at my poems and tell me which ones to enter?
No. This would be unfair on other entrants, and is not possible due to the number of entrants..
How many poems can I enter?
There is a limit of six poems in total from one person. You must pay an entry fee for each poem you submit.
If I have entered a poem in previous years, can I enter it again?
If your poem is unsuccessful one year, you can enter it again in a subsequent year. Any poem that has already won a prize (in any competition) is barred from entry.
Can children enter The Plough Poetry Prize?
There is no age limit for entrants, and a good poem's a good poem, whatever the age of the poet - however, younger children may be at a disadvantage when competing against experienced adult poets.