The 2013 Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is open for entries. The prize is for young writers aged 11 – 17 from across the world. Once again, the organizers are on the search for exciting new young poets. The British-based Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is rated as one of the most prestigious international poetry competitions. Entry is free and the poems can be of any length and on any theme. The deadline for entries is July 31, 2013.
Last year’s competition attracted entries from a staggering 7,351 young people from 60 countries worldwide, reaffirming the Award’s status as one of the largest literary competitions in the world.
Each year 100 winners (85 commendations and 15 overall winners) are selected by a team of high-profile judges, and receive their awards at an annual prize-giving event on National Poetry Day, held this year on October 3, 2013.
Thanks to funding from the Foyle Foundation the competition remains free to enter and a wide range of prizes, opportunities and resources are offered to the young winners and participants.
Overall Winners from the 15 to 17 age category attend a week-long intensive residential Arvon course where they develop their creative writing skills alongside fellow poets. Winners from the11-14 age group benefit from poetry residencies at their school, as well as distance mentoring.
British authors, Hannah Lowe and David Morley are the judges for this year’s award.
David Morley is an award-winning writer of nine books of poetry and the editor of six anthologies of new fiction and poetry. He is Professor of Writing at Warwick University and was a judge of the 2012 T.S. Eliot Prize.
Sarah Henry from the USA is a former Foyle Young Poet of the Year. She is full of praise for the competition and urges young poets to take advantage of the opportunity to enter. “This journey has been transforming and surreal. I would encourage all young writers to submit to this competition while the chance still remains,” says Sarah.
Many of the former winners have gone on to publish work with major publishing houses such as Faber & Faber and Carcanet. The organizers also support them through a number of initiatives aimed at helping them establish themselves in the literary and publishing world, such as internships, editorial opportunities and showcasing events.
Take a look at the full rules and information on the prizes and opportunities.
You can find out more about the 2012 winners, whose poems can be read online and in the new Foyle Anthology Gorgeous like a thunderstorm.
