A Prize Worth Having

Eyewear recommends entering the Troubadour poetry prize.  Details also below:


Announcing the £2,500 Fifth Annual Troubadour International Poetry Prize

Judged by Susan Wicks & David Harsent (with both judges reading all poems)

Sponsored by Cegin Productions

Prizes: 1st £2,500, 2nd £500, 3rd £250 & 20 prizes of £20 each
Plus a Spring 2012 Coffee-House-Poetry season-ticket
and  a prizewinners' Coffee-House Poetry reading
with Susan Wicks & David Harsent on Mon 28th Nov 2011
for all prize-winning poets

Submissions: by Mon 17th Oct 2011

Judges:

- Susan Wicks has lived and worked in France, Ireland and America and has taught at University College Dublin and University of Kent; she is the author of five collections of poetry including 'Singing Underwater' (1992), which won the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Prize, and 'The Clever Daughter' (1996), which was shortlisted for both T.S. Eliot and Forward Prizes, and she was a Poetry Society 'New Gen' poet in 1994. A short memoir, 'Driving My Father', was published in 1995, she is the author of two novels, 'The Key' (1997) and 'Little Thing' (1998), and 'Roll Up for the Arabian Derby', her collection of short stories, was published in 2008. Her latest collection of poetry is 'House of Tongues' (Bloodaxe, 2011).

- David Harsent, a Visiting Professor at Sheffield Hallam University and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, has published ten collections of poetry and several limited editions, and has received a number of awards, including the Eric Gregory Award, the Geoffrey Faber Award and the Cheltenham Festival Prize. His most recent collection, 'Night' (Faber, 2011) was a PBS choice and shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. His previous book, 'Legion', won the Forward Prize for best collection 2005 and was shortlisted for both the Whitbread Award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. His 'Selected Poems' was published in June 2007, and was shortlisted for the Griffin International Poetry Prize.

- Both judges will read all poems submitted.

Rules:

- General: Entry implies acceptance of all rules; failure to comply results in disqualification; submissions accepted by post or e-mail from poets of any nationality, from any country, aged over 18 years, and writing in English; no poet may win more than one prize; the judges' decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into. 

- Poems: Poems must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must be the original work of the entrant (no translations) and must not have been previously broadcast or published (in print or online); winning & commended poems may be published (in print or online) by Troubadour International Poetry Prize, and may not be published elsewhere for one year after Monday 17th October 2011 without permission; no limit on number of poems submitted; no alterations accepted after submission.

- Fees: All entries must be accompanied by fee of £5/€6/$8 per poem; payment by cheque or money order (Sterling/Euro/US-Dollars only) payable to 'Coffee-House Poetry' with Poet's Name (and e-mail Entry Acknowledgement Reference, if paying for earlier e-mail submission) written clearly on back.

- By Post: No entry form required; two copies required of each poem submitted; each poem must be typed on one side of A4 white paper showing title & poem only; do not show poet's name or any other identifying marks on submitted poems; include a separate page showing Poet's Name, Address, Phone No., E-Mail (if available), List of Poem Titles, Total Number of Poems and Total Fees at £5/€6/$8 per poem; no staples; no Special Delivery, Recorded Delivery or Registered Post; we recommend folding A4 poems in half in C5 envelope as this does not incur 'large letter' charge if less than 5mm thick (UK); entries are not returned.

- By E-mail: No entry form required; poems must be submitted in body of e-mail (no attachments) to CoffPoetry@aol.com; entries should be preceded by Poet's Name, Address, Phone No., List of Poem Titles, Total Number of Poems and Total Fees at £5/€6/$8 per poem; acknowledgement will be sent to entrant's e-mail address showing Entry Acknowledgment Reference; send payment by post within 14 days quoting Poet's Name and Entry Acknowledgement Reference; e-mail entries will be included only when payment received by post; no Special Delivery, Recorded Delivery or Registered Post.

- Acknowledgement/Results: Postal entrants may include stamped, addressed postcard marked 'Acknowledgement' and/or stamped, addressed envelope marked 'Results' if required; results will be sent to all e-mail entrants after winners announcement; no correspondence will be entered into.

- Deadline: All postal entries, and postal payments for e-mail entries, to arrive at Troubadour International Poetry Prize, Coffee-House Poetry, PO Box 16210, LONDON, W4 1ZP postmarked on or before Monday 17th October 2011.

- Prizewinners: All prizewinners will be contacted individually by Monday 21st November 2011. Prizegiving will be on Monday 28th November 2011 at Coffee-House Poetry at the Troubadour in Earls Court, London.