The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is an opportunity for any young poet aged 11-17 to accelerate their writing career. Since it began 15 years ago the Award has kick-started the career of some of today’s most exciting new voices, including this year’s judge Helen Mort, a highly successful poet whose next collection is to be published by Chatto & Windus (whose alumni include A.S. Byatt, Toni Morrison and poet Ruth Padel). Helen is joined by the acclaimed Costa Award winning poet, Christopher Reid, on the judging panel.

Last year’s competition attracted entries from a staggering 7,215 young people, and the quality of the poems was impressive as ever. The award is recognised as a career-changing competition of cultural significance nationally and internationally, with previous winners coming from as far as New Zealand, Malaysia and the U.S.A. The press attention and number of entries it has garnered in recent year is testimony to the gravitas of the competition. To reach the top 100 is truly to be marked out as a rising literary star.

The phrase ‘Former Foyle Young Poet’ is now commonly found in professional biographies as alumni continue to make their mark on the wider literary world, appearing on bookshelves and at festivals the world over. Other notable winners include Caroline Bird, who after winning the award had her first collection of poetry published by Carcanet at just 16, and was one of the shortlisted Shell Women of the Future in 2011; Sarah Howe, who has been published widely, received the Eric Gregory Award and has appeared on Radio 4 alongside Ian Macmillan; Annie Katchinska, published as a Faber New Poet at the age of 20; and Caleb Klaces, whose first collection has been shortlisted for the Crashaw Prize.

The top fifteen poets will be published in an anthology going out to more than 20,000 people worldwide in March 2013. There are two prizes available for the 15 overall winners of the award. The 14-17 year olds get the chance to attend a week-long residential course at The Hurst in Shropshire, one of the prestigious Arvon centres, where they will be tutored by this year’s judges Christopher Reid and Helen Mort. The younger age range winners (11-14 year olds) will receive a visit to their school from a professional poet, followed by distance mentoring. The 85 Commended Winners also receive book prizes and a year’s Youth Membership of the Poetry Society. All 100 winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award benefit from ongoing support and encouragement, via publication, performance, promotion and internship opportunities throughout the UK.

Any young person writing in English can enter the competition, whether they have been writing for a long time or just started, all they need to have is a passionate engagement with words, and wonder.

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2012 is supported by the Foyle Foundation, and is free to enter. Age 11-17. Poets can enter more than one poem, of any length, on any theme

Enter online at www.foyleyoungpoets.org

Deadline for entries: July 31st 2012

Request an entry form by writing to

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, 22 Betterton Street, London, WC2H 9BX

Or email: fyp@poetrysociety.org.uk

Source: Idea Generation