Poetry contest is a ‘chance for success for all’
Sussex writers are being encouraged to enter the South Downs Poetry Festival Competition to gain the chance to win the Binsted Prize of £300 plus publication of their poems. Organised by Binsted Arts and SDPF, the winners will also have the chance to read their poems at a special awards ceremony in Binsted Church in June.
The judge for the competition is Sussex author Naomi Foyle. She is an awardwinning British-Canadian writer, editor and educator. Her most recent poetry publications include The World Cup, from Waterloo Press, and Adamantine (Red Hen/Pighog Press, US/UK). She is also the author of five science fiction novels, two verse dramas and various essays and short stories.
Based in Brighton, she is a reader in critical imaginative writing at the University of Chichester and the deputy director of Waterloo Press. Naomi’s theatrical interpretation of her Astra novels will be featured in this year’s Festival of Chichester as part of the Festival Fringe, as well as at Brighton Fringe festival.
Original unpublished poems on any theme are invited for the Binsted Prize, which carries awards of £300, £150 and £50. Entry fees are £5 for the first poem,£4forsubsequentpoems, but poets aged 16 to 25 can enter for £3 per poem. Previous winners include David Swann, a senior lecturer in English at the University of Chichester and Christopher Horton, who won last year’s prize.
South Downs Poetry Festival director Barry Smith said: “The Binsted Prize gives a chance for success for all writers who fancy putting their ideas and feelings into poetry. There are no set rules – the judge will be looking for quality of expression together with original language and ideas.
“Poems don’t have to be written in formal rhyming verse, so anyone can have a go. The best poems will be selected by Naomi Foyle to be printed in a special anthology published to be part of the Binsted Arts Festival. The winning poem will also be published in the South Downs Poetry Festival’s annual magazine, Poetry & All That Jazz, which always contains poetry by established national and indeed international writers. So, if selected, the Binsted Prize winner’s poem could be printed on a page opposite, say, a poem by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion or novelist and poet Louis de Bernières. It’s quite a thrill for writers to find themselves in such distinguished company.”
The closing date is April 14. Full details on binsted.org/ poetry-comp-22