About

Entry is free and open globally to anyone aged 11–17. Poems must be original, unpublished, written in English, no longer than 40 lines, and not generated using AI tools. UK entrants may submit up to three poems; international entrants may submit one. Judges — two high-profile poets appointed annually — select 15 top winners and 85 commended poets. All 100 winners receive publication by The Poetry Society, online writing workshops, and networking opportunities; UK winners receive a physical book prize pack and UK-based top 15 winners are invited to perform at the awards ceremony in London; international top winners participate in an online awards showcase. The competition received over 28,000 entries in 2025 — a record — prompting the introduction of per-entrant submission caps in 2026.

The alumni record is the clearest signal of what this competition means. Past winners include Sarah Howe, Jay Bernard, Helen Mort, and Caroline Bird — poets who have gone on to win the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Ted Hughes Award, and publish with Faber & Faber, Carcanet, and Chatto & Windus. No other poetry competition for young people has produced a comparable roster of working literary careers. For a student serious about poetry, being named among the 100 winners — even as a commended poet — is a credential that the literary world recognizes and remembers.

The Foyle Young Poets Award is the right competition for any young poet aged 11–17 with a poem they believe in — the entry cost is zero, the audience is global, and recognition here is as close as pre-college poetry gets to a genuine launch.