Poetry London Prize 2026
Poetry London Prize 2026 is now open for entries!
The Poetry London Prize 2026, a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem, has been recently organized by Poetry London, a literary magazine based in London and invites to poets anywhere in the world to participate.
Short description
The Poetry London Prize 2026, has been recently organized by Poetry London, a literary magazine based in London.
The Poetry London Prize is a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem.
Entries are welcome from poets based anywhere in the world and there are no restrictions on themes, subjects or styles.
Entries must not have been previously published or self-published, in print or online, or have won a prize in another competition.
You may enter as many poems as you wish.
This year's judge is Seán Hewitt.
Seán Hewitt is the author of two poetry collections, Tongues of Fire and Rapture’s Road, and a memoir, All Down Darkness Wide. He collaborated with the artist Luke Edward Hall on 300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World. Hewitt has received the Laurel Prize and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize. His debut novel, Open, Heaven, was published in 2024. He lectures at Trinity College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Winners will be notified by the end of September 2026.
The first, second and third prize-winners will be published in the Autumn 2026 issue of Poetry London and on the magazine’s website. The prizes will be awarded at the Autumn launch reading in London.
Entries will be sifted by the editors of Poetry London, and the top 500 will be read by Seán Hewitt.
Submission requirements:
➜ Entries must be in English, your own unaided work, and not a translation of another poet. The maximum length is 80 lines, not including titles or blank lines.
➜ All files must be either a .doc, .docx or .pdf. Each poem should be uploaded in a separate document.
Who may enter?
The competition is open to poets anywhere in the world.
Prize:
➜ 1st prize: £5,000
➜ 2nd prize: £2,000
➜ 3rd prize: £1,000
Entry fees:
For Poetry London subscribers the entry fee is £5 per poem; for non-subscribers it is £10.
