This competition opens on July 1st, and entries need to be in before the deadline of 6pm on July 28th. It’s open to poets from across the globe, and poems on any and every subject are welcome. First prize in this competition is £300, with a second prize of £125, and three third prizes of £25 each. In addition, poems sent in by people living in an LA3 or LA4 postcode will also be eligible for our local prize of £50.
The 2026 Morecambe Poetry Festival runs from 16th to 18th September, and has an absolutely amazing and stellar line-up! Check the festival Facebook page for details of all their events and get yourself along there.
You’ll find details of how to submit, and the rules for the competition, further down the page. Please read them carefully. Poems will be read, and winners chosen, by our judge Jackie Kay.
Our Judge
Jackie Kay is a renowned poet, an award-winning writer of fiction and plays, and a former Makar of Scotland. She is one of Scotland’s best known and most popular literary figures. We are delighted that she will be judging the Morecambe Poetry Festival competition.
A note from Jackie on what she’s looking for: ‘I’m always looking for an authentic and arresting voice, an original and interesting turn of phrase, a fresh way of seeing.’
Rules
- The competition opens on July 1st 2026 and the closing date for receipt of entries is 6pm GMT on July 28th 2026. Entries received after this time will not be considered.
- The fee to enter is £4. If multiple poems are entered in the same submission, £10 will be charged for three poems and then £3 for each subsequent poem in that submission. Maximum number of poems in a single submission is five. Payment is by Paypal (see button below, which will take you to paypal@ignitebooks.co.uk)
- Poems from an LA3 or LA4 postcode will additionally be entered for consideration in the LA prize.
- Entries to the competition must be made by email to morecambepoetrycomp@gmail.com In the body of the email, put your name, address, number of poems entered, and your Paypal reference no.
- Each poem must be sent as a separate .doc .docx or PDF file attached to your email, with the poem title as the document name. Do not put your name or any identifying marks on the poems – they are judged anonymously.
- Poems must be your own unaided work (poems which make use of AI will be disqualified) and on any theme. We want your creativity, not a machine’s.
- Poems must be in English, and no more than 50 lines long.
- Poems must not have been previously published in any public forum (either in print or on a website), nor should they be submitted for future publication elsewhere before the results are announced.
- We can’t amend poems after they’ve been submitted, or refund fees paid.
- The competition is open to anyone aged sixteen and over (with the exception of members of the core team of Morecambe Poetry Festival).
- Winners and shortlisted poets will be contacted a few days in advance of results being announced by August 30th 2026. If you do not hear from us before then, please understand that your poem has not been placed on this occasion. The winning poets will be invited to read their poems at Morecambe Poetry Festival (more details soon). Their poems will also be included in this year’s festival anthology.
- Copyright of the poems remains with the author, but Morecambe Poetry Festival reserves the right to publish successful entries in the festival anthology and on the festival Facebook page.
Good luck!!