We are looking for surprising poems, and poems that arrest and compel and leave an emotional legacy. National Poetry Day is a great way to show that poetry is a fibre in everyone’s life, and speaks to truth that everyone shares.
Erin Fornoff, Judge
Surprise Encounters: HeadStuff Poetry Competition 2018
For Poetry Day Ireland 2018 HeadStuff is launching a brand new poetry competition to celebrate this fantastic day of poetic activity. In 2018 Poetry Day Ireland is on the 26th April with a national theme across the country of ‘Surprises’, and is being co-ordinated by Poetry Ireland
Our esteemed panel of judges for this years poetry competition are Colm Keegan and Erin Fornoff.
HeadStuff.org would like to invite all poets from around the country, and beyond, to submit poems on the theme of ‘Surprise Encounters’.
Poetry can amaze, startle, astonish and surprise, and at HeadStuff we want to celebrate these surprises real or imagined in all poetic life, form and style.
This could be surprise encounters of the science fiction variety; a surprise encounter from revisiting a past memory, or it could even be a surprise encounter with a dog.
Whether there is a poem hiding under your mattress, long collecting dust, or you’re new to poetry and writing your first poems, please submit your poem/s to the competition. We would love to read them all.
There are no limits on form, only that there is a maximum of two poems per individual submission and the poems can’t be more than 80 lines. Please wherever possible stick to the theme outlined above.
There will be three wonderful prizes on offer to the lucky winners:
1st Prize: €100 sponsored by the University College Cork and a free Weekend Retreat at Anam Cara
2nd Prize: A year’s subscription to Ireland Poetry Review.
3rd Prize: A collection of poetry books donated from Irish presses.
There will also be 12 commended poems who will be published on the HeadStuff site. Prize winners and commended submissions alongside commissioned work on the theme will be published.
Submission Timeline
Submissions Open – 26th April
Deadline for Submissions – midnight 1st June
Submission Details
- All submissions should be submitted through the google form – HERE
- Maximum of two poems per poet.
- Maximum of 80 lines per poem
- All submissions should be anonymous – your name should not appear anywhere on the document.
- Deadline is at midnight of the 1st June at Midnight.
- Please stick to the brief wherever possible.
- Have Fun!!!