Announcing our Judge for 2027 – Wendy Pratt

Some words from Wendy about what she’ll be looking for:

‘I want you to think not only of the necessity of water for survival, but how you, personally, interact with water. How does it feel to immerse your body in wild water? How does it feel to place your arm-band clad children in the swimming pool for the first time? What does it feel like to float on a river, or wade through a bog or cup frog spawn in your hands? 

‘What are your fears for the future. We’ve just passed through one of the worst droughts ever recorded in Britain; what did you notice about the world without water? What does a future of melting glaciers and extreme weather mean to you? The environmental crisis can feel like an abstract concept, so tell me about the details, show me your perspective, how you are being affected. Think outside the box, surprise me. I want to see poems that take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. And don’t forget, the reason why the planet is so important is because it is our home, it is beautiful, it is extraordinary so don’t be afraid to express joy. 

‘In terms of craft; I’m always on the lookout for excellence, attention to detail, thoughtfulness and evidence of pride in your work – don’t forget to proofread. I do not want to see AI. Don’t hand over the essential business of human creativity to a machine. I want you to work hard and find this difficult and come out of the creative process with something you can be proud of. That’s what writing is about. 

‘Don’t be afraid to throw your hat in the ring, poetry is for everyone. I can’t wait to read your words.  

Three age categories

The competition is open to poets of all ages, from anywhere in the world. There are three categories:

• Age 18 & Over – with a prize of £300
• Ages 12 to 17 – with a prize of £100
• Age 11 & Under – with a prize of £50 

Rules about entry

All entries are accepted in good faith.

The poem must be your own original work and not have been published before or currently entered in any other competition.

We want to read a poem created from your own imagination and hard work, please do not use AI in any way to generate your poem.

Copyright remains with you but we reserve the right to reproduce your poem in print and digital form to publicise and promote the competition and the Festival.

No single piece of work, or entrant can win more than one prize.

Your poem(s) must be no more than 30 lines long.

Entrants agree to indemnify the judges, organisers, and any other related parties against any litigation that may arise should the poems entered not have the necessary permission to be published.

We reserve the right to update and amend these rules at any time, but only if necessary; any changes will be posted on this website.

The judge’s decision is final.

How to enter

Entry fee:  The entry fee is £4 per poem for age ’18 & Over’, and free of charge for under 18s.

Number of poems:   Over 18s can submit up to five poems, under 18s one poem.

Language:   We welcome poem entries from any country in the world, but they must be written in English.

Format:  You can write your poems in any format – haiku, sonnet, blank verse etc., but they must be relevant to the theme. The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any entries they consider to be not relevant to the theme.

Poems are now entered as text on the website, rather than as a file.  You can format your text once it has been entered.

Your entry should have a unique title and your initials in the filename e.g. “AS – Morning Splendour”.

The competition is judged anonymously, so please don’t add your name, address or any other identifier to your poem.

Deadline for entry:  11pm on Sunday 3 January 2027.  

Official competition platform:  Registration, entry and any payment due must be completed online through our official competition platform Skor.ie