What is this competition? The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is the biggest award for writers aged 11-17. It welcomes poems on any theme and entry is completely FREE. Winners receive a fantastic range of prizes, from mentoring to a residential writing course, Poetry Society membership to books. Their poems are also published through the Poetry Society each year. The Poetry Society also continues to support winners’ development with performance, publication and internship opportunities. 

What can you write your poem about? ANYTHING! There is no prescribed topic, theme or style of poem – you can write anything you want. You may also enter more than one poem. However, we strongly advise that you concentrate on drafting and redrafting your poems and send only a selection (we suggest no more than 4-6 absolute maximum) of your very best. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.

A few rules: You must be aged between 11 and 17. Your work is accepted on the basis that this will be its first publication anywhere in the world. It must be only your own work, and must never have been published (including on a website or any social media). Send your entry to Mrs Robert (rob@fallibroome.org.uk) by email or pass it to your English teacher who will submit it to Mrs Robert for you. You can also submit directly on the Poetry Society website. The deadline is 3rd July 2017. All 100 winning poets will be notified in September 2017 and invited to an award ceremony in October 2017.

Here are some ideas and images to inspire you: Write a poem about an old photograph of a family member Write a poem about a location which is often overlooked Write a poem to someone you would never speak to in real life Use one of these images as a prompt: