June 2026 Poetry Competition
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We are delighted to announce our next poetry-writing competition to be judged by our Poet in Residence Dorothy Pope.
The competition is open to all. There is an entry fee of Β£5 per entrant; entry is free for subscriber-members of the Society. Each entrant may submit two poems not previously published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please keep copies as those submitted will not be returned.
The theme of the competition is 'Statue(s)'. Poems should reach Dorothy Pope by 15 June 2026, by post to 10 Runnelfield, Harrow on the Hill, Middx HA1 3NY, or by email to
Please pay the Β£5 entry fee before submitting your poem(s) either by bank transfer to
CAF Bank
King's English Society
Sort Code: 40-52-40
Account No: 00092513
or by cheque payable to The King's English Society and sent to:
King's English Society
The Clock Tower
5-02 St Pancras Chambers
Euston Road
LONDON NW1 2AR
With either form of payment, please include your name and POETRY as a reference.
Poems sent by post should each be typed on a separate sheet with contact details on the reverse. Each emailed poem must be in Word or similar format (no PDFs, please) and must be sent separately with contact details well separated from the poem. Every poem must be headed 'Kingβs English Society Poetry Competition' and must be a maximum of 20 lines in the authorβs choice of form.
Results will be announced on 6 July 2026. The author of the winning poem will receive Β£200 and the runner-up will receive Β£100. Both poems will be published on the Kingβs English Society website and social media platforms, and in the next issue of the Society's quarterly magazine Quest.
Though she finds the poems a delight to read, please note that due to the sheer volume of work Dorothy Pope is unable to provide feedback other than on the two winners.
Dorothy Pope is the author of three books, The Fourth Man, The Summerhouse Poems and A Mile of Kite String. A retired English teacher, she started writing poems at the age of 53 and has since had 530 poems published, about 20 of them prize-winning including several firsts, notably the Poetry Societyβs Hamish Canham award. She is Chair of Herga Poets.
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