The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is an annual poetry competition for young people aged 11-17.

Poems must be written in English (although phrases of another language may be included). They can be on any theme and in any style, but no longer than 40 lines long. Young poets can submit as many entries as they wish.

Each year, 15 winners and a further 85 commendations are chosen by two high profile poets. All 100 winning and commended poets receive a year’s membership of the Poetry Society, a range of books and other prizes. The 15 winners also receive opportunities to develop their writing skills and ongoing support and encouragement from The Poetry Society.

Schools are encouraged to submit entries by their students using a teacher submission portal. For inspiration, a free class set of print anthologies featuring the previous year’s winning poems is available by emailing fyp@poetrysociety.org.uk.

Timetable:

• The competition opens in March
• The deadline for entries is end of July
• The winners are announced at an awards ceremony in October

Cost: Free

About The Poetry Society: The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is administered by The Poetry Society, a charitable arts organisation set up in 1909 to champion poetry for all ages.

About the Foyle Foundation: The Foyle Foundation is an independent grant making trust that distributes grants to UK charities whose core work covers the Arts and Learning.