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Foyle Young Poets

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

A free international poetry award for 11 to 17 year olds, with a hundred winners chosen each year.

Run by The Poetry Society

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.
The Poetry Society sets eligibility by age, not grade. There is no school enrolment requirement.
Eligible ages
Open to everyone aged 11 to 17 on 31 July of the competition year.
Age is assessed on the deadline date, not the submission date. Entrants aged 11 or 12 need a parent or guardian to give permission, online or via the permission form, for data protection reasons.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Individual or team
Individual
Where it runs
Online · International
Entry cost
FreeFree to enter thanks to the Foyle Foundation. Travel to the awards ceremony in England is not covered, which is the main cost for entrants outside the UK.
Registration deadline
Midnight BST on 31 July. Late online entries are not accepted under any circumstances; postal entries must be post-dated on or before that date. 325 days leftThe 2026 award has closed. The competition typically launches in spring, historically around March or April.
Competition dates
Entries open in spring and close 31 July. Winners are announced in the autumn, with an awards ceremony held in October.
Difficulty
CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
Prizes
One hundred winners are selected: 15 top winners and 85 commended poets. All 100 receive a year's youth membership of The Poetry Society plus books and other prizes. The top 15 receive further writing development opportunities and ongoing support from The Poetry Society; commended poets have their work featured in an online anthology.Fifteen top winners receive publication in the annual anthology and a place on a residential writing course. Eighty-five commended winners receive publication and access to development opportunities through The Poetry Society.

What Foyle Young Poets is

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is one of the most respected poetry prizes for young writers in the world, run by The Poetry Society in the United Kingdom but open internationally. It is free to enter, there is no theme and no form restriction, and a hundred winners are chosen each year: fifteen top winners and eighty-five commended. Many established British poets first appeared through this award.

How the competition works

Poems must be no longer than 40 lines and written in English, though phrases in your mother tongue or another language may be included. Any theme, any style. Entrants may submit as many poems as they wish. Poems written using generative AI software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or similar tools are strictly prohibited. Entries in British Sign Language or Braille can be arranged by contacting The Poetry Society.

Eligibility notes

Open worldwide to anyone aged 11 to 17 on the closing date. No school involvement required; you enter directly.

How to register

  1. Read the current year's rules on The Poetry Society site, since form and length guidance can change.
  2. Write and revise poems. There is no theme, so the choice of subject is entirely yours.
  3. Submit online during the entry window. You may enter more than one poem.
  4. Winners are announced in the autumn.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Poetry writing
  • Revision
  • Reading contemporary poetry
  • Selecting your own strongest work

Recommended resources

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

Can students outside the United Kingdom enter?

Yes. Foyle Young Poets is open internationally to anyone aged 11 to 17 on the closing date, and winners come from many countries.

How many poems can I submit?

Multiple entries are permitted and entry is free, so there is no reason to submit only one. Check the current year's rules for any limit.

Is there a theme?

No. There is no set theme and no restriction on form, which is unusual among poetry competitions for young writers.

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StructureDivisions by grade or level
  • FormatIndividual
  • WhereOnline
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