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The Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize


The Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize

First prize: €2,000
Second prize: €1,000
Third prize: €500

The three winners will also be invited to read at a special award ceremony at Ballymaloe House in Co. Cork, Ireland, in March 2012, and their poems will feature in the spring issue of The Moth.


Set in ten acres of organic market gardens, orchards and greenhouses, which are, in turn, surrounded by a hundred acres of organic farm, Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery School is just minutes away from the renowned Ballymaloe Country House and Restaurant, run by the Allen family for over 40 years. A creative haven for lovers of food and fresh produce, this family-run business is now the proud sponsor of the inaugural Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize, launched in association with The Moth.

‘A little poetry enriches our everyday lives – so I’m delighted to be sponsoring this prize.’ Darina Allen

The Prize is open to everyone, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished. Simply send your poem(s) along with an entry form (downloadable on The Moth website) or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title(s) of poem(s) attached to: The Moth, The Bog Road Press, Cavan, Co. Cavan, Ireland.

The entry fee is €6 (or €7.50 if you’re paying by money order), and you can enter as many poems as you like. You can also enter online, using a debit or credit card, at www.themothmagazine.com, where you will find more details about the competition.

The competition will be judged by Matthew Sweeney, whose last collection, Black Moon, was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and The Irish Times/Poetry Now Award.

Closing date 31 December 2011.

The official launch of the Prize will be held at The Grand Social, 35 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin on 7 July 2011, from 7 p.m. onwards − with readings by Eileen Casey, Anne Haverty and Gerard Smyth. Please visit The Moth website for more details.

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