The Christopher Tower Poetry Competition, the UK’s most valuable prize for young poets, opens for entries on National Poetry Day,

and this year students between 16-18 years of age are challenged to write a poem on the theme of ‘News’.

Established in 2000, the Tower Prizes are recognised as among the most prestigious literary awards for this age group.

The first prize is £3,000, with £1,000 and £500 going to the second and third prize-winners. In addition to individual prizes, the

students’ schools and colleges also receive cash prizes of £150. Longlisted entrants’ poems are published on the Tower Poetry website.

The entries will be judged this year by poets Olivia McCannon, Kei Miller and Peter McDonald.

The 2014 competition will build on the success of earlier competitions.

Previous prizewinners such as Caroline Bird, Helen Mort, Richard O’Brien, Charlotte Runcie, Anna Lewis, and Annie Katchinska

are now gaining further acclaim in other competitions or within the publishing/ writing world.

Kent & Sussex Poetry Society Open Poetry Competition

First Prize: £1000, 2^nd: £300, 3^rd: £100, 4^th: 4 x £50

Judge: Pascale Petit

Entry fee: £5 per poem. 3 or more poems: £4 each

Closing date: 31 January 2014

Entries to: The Competition Organiser, 26 Courtlands, Teston, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5AS.

Put name and address on separate sheet – not on poem

OR ENTER ON-LINE and pay by Paypal

For more details, go to:

www.kentandsussexpoetry.com

Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize

Closing date: 31 December 2013

Prizes: 1st €10,000, 2nd €2,000, 3rd €1,000

Details: The Moth magazine teams up with Ballymaloe Cookery School for the third year to offer one of the biggest prizes in the

world for a single poem. The prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.

The entry fee is €9 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like.

This year's judge is New York State Poet Laureate Marie Howe.

For further details go to www.themothmagazine.com

The Poetry Book Society's second annual National Student Poetry Competition is now open!

The only nationwide prize of its kind, last year's inaugural Competition judged by George Szirtes saw entries from universities

across the country, and the £100 first prize was scooped by Sophie Clarke from Oxford University.

The prizes have been expanded this year and the winner will receive £200, with a second prize of £50 and third prize of £25.

All three will receive Full PBS memberships.

Eight highly commended poems will receive Associate membership of the PBS and a selection of books.

For full details visit: www.poetrybooks.co.uk