The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2010 is now CLOSED for entries.

All winners will be notified between the 8th and 15th September 2010.

Remember: You can still enter our SLAMbassadors spoken word championship - it closes for entries 29th October 2010!

"Inside a prestigious getaway for 15 Young Poets of the Year" - Read 2009 Winner Phoebe Power's article in The Independent on Sunday, 7th March 2010

Rules: 

You'll must be aged 11-17 on the closing date of the 31st July 2010 (i.e. Under 18 years old) in order to enter. The competition closes at midnight on the 31st July 2010.

• Each poem must be the original work of the author, and must not have been previously published, broadcast or have won another competition.
• No acknowledgment of receipt can be made unless a stamped, self-addressed envelope is included with the entry. Please ensure the correct postage is used as late entries cannot be accepted.
• Please note that competition entries cannot be returned under any circumstances so please make sure you send copies only.
• The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into concerning this decision.
• Entries sent in by e-mail will not be accepted.
• All entries must be received by midnight on the 31st July 2010. Late entries will not be accepted under any circumstances.
• All postal entried must be post dated the 31st July 2010 or before. no late entries will be accepted under any circumstances.
• Entrants must be aged 11-17 on the closing date of the 31st July 2010.
• Entries must be written in English. Entrants can be from any part of the world - (however please note that we are unable to cover the travel fees for any Top Fifteen International Winners invited to the Arvon Course).
• The copyright of each poem remains with the author. Authors of the winning poems will grant the Poetry Society permission to publish or broadcast the poems.
• Winners will be notified by 15th September 2010 and will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in London in October 2010.     i

FYP is about what you want to write. So you can enter poems written in class, or poems you've written at home, from exercises or from your own imaginings! You can enter poems on any theme, and of any length, and in any shape you like. Entry is completely free and you can enter as many poems as you like, however we do advise that you concentrate on drafting and redrafting your poems. Remember, quality is more important than quantity. Poems should be in English.

Judges:

Jane Draycott

Jane Draycott’s latest collection Over was published in April 2009 by Carcanet/OxfordPoets and was shortlisted for the 2009 T S Eliot Prize. Nominated three times for the Forward Prize for Poetry, her first two full collectionsPrince Rupert's Drop and The Night Tree (Carcanet/Oxford) were both Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Other collections include from Two Rivers Press, Christina the Astonishing (with Peter Hay and Lesley Saunders) and Tideway, a long sequence of poems about London's working river (with paintings by Peter Hay) written while poet-in-residence at the River & Rowing Museum. Jane was a Stephen Spender Prize-winner in 2008 and teaches on postgraduate writing programmes at Oxford University and the University of Lancaster. Her contemporary version of the medieval dream-vision Pearl is forthcoming in 2010 from Carcanet/OxfordPoets and is supported by Arts Council England South East.

Read Jane's tips on how to write a good poem

Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard was born in Kingston Upon Thames in 1981 and grew up in Luton. He writes and publishes poetry and short stories and has written for the stage, taking numerous productions to the Edinburgh Fringe. He holds a PhD in English from the University of Exeter and lectures in creative writing at the University of Birmingham. He won an Eric Gregory Award in 2005 and his first collection of prose poems The Solex Brothers was published later that year by Stride. His second collection The Harbour Beyond the Movie was published by Salt in 2007 and was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, making him the youngest poet ever to be shortlisted. His new collection, The Migraine Hotel is available now from Salt and was recognised by the Guardian Review as a ‘Treat in Store’. 

Read what Luke will be looking for when he selects the winning poems

Prizes: 

There are 15 Overall Winners and 85 Commended Poets. All Overall Winners and Commended Poets will be notified by letter and follow up email between the 8th and 15th September 2010.

• The 15 Overall Winners aged 11-17 will have their poems printed in the winners' anthology and all Commended Poets will have their name published inside
• 15-17 year olds in the Overall Winners category will attend a week-long residential course at one of the prestigious Arvon Centres - take a look at a previous course here
• 11-14 year olds in the Overall Winners category will win a short residency in their school by a leading poet followed by distance mentoring
• All 100 winners (Overall and Commended) receive a year's Youth Membership and the opportunity to contribute to our brand new YM magazine
• All 100 winners (Overall and Commended) are invited to a prestigious Awards Ceremony in London in October 2010
• All 100 winners (Overall and Commended) will receive a copy of the current issue of  Young Writer magazine and win prizes including books published by Faber & Faber, Bloodaxe Books, Picador, Salt Publishing and  tall-lighthouse 
• All 100 winners will receive a beautiful Paperblanks journal. With a book making heritage of nearly twenty years, Paperblanks believe that the written word matters and that blank books have a critical role to play in the art and continued practice of writing itself.
• Overall Winners aged 11-14 will win a year's subscription to Young Writer magazine
• The 3 schools who inspire the most entries will receive a special selection of books from  Faber & Faber, Bloodaxe Books and Salt Publishing for their libraries

Teachers:

• Video lesson plans from our Teacher Trailblazers
• Resources for teachers relating to the Foyle competition
• Download our New Education Brochure detailing our full programme

Young Poet Pages:

Don't forget that we are always gathering poems, reviews and interviews for our Youth Members'  Poetry Pages. 

Remember, you'll need to be a youth member to submit to the youth pages (but not to submit to FYP!)

National Poetry Competition:

Too old to enter Foyle Young Poets? Take a look at the Poetry Society's competition for adults, the National Poetry Competition: Deadline for entries is the 31st October 2010.

More about the Award:

This year, Foyle becomes a teenager as it hits its thirteenth year - Click here to see what some of your favourite poets were getting up to in their teens (and what they looked like, too!)

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is now firmly established as the key award for young writers aged between 11 and 17 years. 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. The Award has been supported by the Foyle Foundation since 2001  - during this time it has trebled its support and enabled the competition to become one of the permier literary awards in the country.

Find out more about past years winners here.

Overall  Winners from the 15 to 17 age category then attend a week-long intensive residential Arvon course where they develop their creative writing skills and establish peer support structures. Winners aged 11-14 group benefit from poetry residencies at their school followed by distance mentoring.Alongside the  Winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award benefit from on-going support and encouragement, via publication, performance, promotion and internship opportunities.

See what previous winners got up to at their week long Arvon course led by Ian McMillan and Eva Salzman below (featuring the 2008 Winners)

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