Shelley Memorial Project
International Poetry Competition
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
The theme for the 2024 poetry competition was the changing seasons.
We received over 200 poems for the 2024 prize, the highest level of participation in the competition to date. Our competition judge Liz Barnes has completed her review of the poems and the names of the winning poets are detailed below.
First Prize: Sarah Mills – Mood Disorder
Second Prize: Peter Devonald - Winter Has A Wish For You
Third Prize : Lucy Crispin - getting the summer clothes out of storage
Shelley Memorial Cup: Caroline Berry - Here she Comes
The winning poems will shortly be published on our website and Facebook pages.
1st place - £250
2nd place - £150
3rd place - £50
This year’s competition prize money has been generously sponsored by Graham Sitton, Horsham resident and author of two novels, Two Hearts and Sam & Kelly.
Prizewinners will have the opportunity to read their poems
at our Celebration of Poetry event on 12th October
in St Mary’s Church, Horsham, alongside performances by Louis de Bernières, competition judge Liz Barnes, and others.
This year’s competition is now closed
Competition judge:
Liz Barnes
Liz Barnes is a contemporary poet whose work can be romantic and soothing, or hard hitting and thought-provoking.
She has had two anthologies published by the Real Press: A little bit of pain and a whole lot of love and I swallowed the world.
Liz regularly shares her work locally and was recently a guest at the Ox Market Contemporary in Chichester.
Liz says, ‘I use poetry as my advocate, to help express emotions and feelings. I like poetry with authenticity that leaves its mark, whether with images or thoughts.’
Submission guidelines and award rules
Submission guidelines are as follows:
Poems in any category may be up to 50 lines.
Entry fee is £5.00 per poem - maximum 2 poems.
Poems should be accompanied by an entry form.
The poet’s name should not appear on the poems themselves.
Poems must be the original work of the named author and must not have been previously published (hard copy or on-line) or won a prize in any competition.
The organisers accept no responsibility for entries that are incorrectly submitted or not delivered due to technical faults.
By entering the competition, entrants agree to accept and be bound by the rules of the competitons and the decisions of the judges.
The copyright of each poem remains with the author, but will appear on the SMP website and in our social media.