Competition
NEIL ASTLEY
Neil Astley is the founding editor of Bloodaxe Books, one of the UK’s most dynamic poetry presses. He received an Eric Gregory Award for his poetry in 1982, and was awarded an honorary D.Litt by Newcastle University in 1995. He has published two poetry collections and two novels, The End of My Tether (2002), shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, and The Sheep Who Changed the World (2005). He has edited the bestselling trio of anthologies Staying Alive (2002), Being Alive (2004), and Being Human (2010), as well as two collaborations with Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Soul Food (2007), and the multimedia project In Person: 30 Poets (2008).
The Poetry London Competition, now in its thirteenth year, has become one of the most highly-regarded in the country, attracting many hundreds of entries from across the UK and abroad. We are pleased to announce that Neil Astley, founding editor of Bloodaxe Books, will be the competition judge in 2012. Previous judges have included Paul Farley (2011), Michael Longley (2010), Don Paterson (2009), Kathleen Jamie (2008), and Jo Shapcott (2007). Neil Astley’s judge’s report and the winning poems are published in the Autumn ’12 issue of Poetry London.
POETRY LONDON COMPETITION 2012
Deadline: 1 May 2012
The Poetry London Competition 2012 is now open for entries. This year the judge will be Neil Astley.
Winners will receive the following prizes:
First Prize £1000
Second Prize £500
Third Prize £200
plus publication in Poetry London
Four commendations will be awarded, of £75 each
Entries must be in English, your own unaided work, and not a translation of another poet. Entries must not have been previously published, in print or online. The maximum length is 80 lines.
Entry fee is £3 per poem for Poetry London subscribers, for non-subscribers £5.
For competition rules and entry form please download the form.
