Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition 2026

Besides the prizes on offer, the Chesham Literary Festival Poetry Competition is a wonderful opportunity for poets to have their voices heard and to showcase the grass-roots talent among our community and beyond.

Our previous winners have been celebrated at public readings and we have published The Chalk Stream, an anthology comprising poems entered in previous years.

• £100 for the winner of the Adult Resident of HP5 category
• £100 for the winner of the Adult Rest of the World category
• £50 for the winner of the Under 11 category
• £50 for the winner of the 11–18 category

Prizewinners and commended poems will be determined by our judges and announced at the Chesham Literary Festival Award Ceremony this summer.

• The competition is open for entries from 1 March 2026 until 23:59 (UK time) on 1 June 2026.​

• The competition is open to entrants worldwide, subject to the category definitions.

• Entrants may submit up to 5 poems.

• Each poem must be written in English and must not exceed 40 lines, excluding the title.​

• Please state your name, age (if entering our under‑18 categories), and the category you are entering in the body of the email.

• Entries must be sent to cheshamliterary@gmail.com. Each poem must be attached as a Word document (.doc or .docx), typed in a readable 12‑point font, and must include only the poem, title and Transaction Number.​

• There is an entry fee of £4 per poem, payable via PayPal at the link below. Once payment is made, PayPal will provide a Transaction Number. This Transaction Number is your entry number and must appear at the top of each poem document. Entries without a valid Transaction Number may be disqualified and not entered into the competition.

• By entering this competition, you are confirming that you have read, understood and agreed to the rules.

• Entrants under 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian, and by submitting an entry the parent or guardian is deemed to have agreed to these rules on the entrant’s behalf.​

• Each poem must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been previously published in print or online, broadcast, or have won a prize in another competition.​ Submissions must not have been created in whole or in part by AI. 

• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but entrants must notify the organisers immediately if a submitted poem is accepted for publication or wins a prize elsewhere; such poems will be withdrawn and entry fees cannot be refunded.

• Categories:
  • Under 11 years
  • 11–18 years
  • Adult Resident of HP5 (aged 18+ whose primary residence has a Chesham area postcode beginning HP5)
  • Adult Rest of the World (aged 18+)

• Winners will be announced at the 2026 Chesham Literary Festival Award Ceremony (date to be announced shortly), and a list of winners and commended poets may be published on the Chesham Literary Festival website and social media channels.​

• Copyright in all poems remains with the author. By entering the competition, entrants grant Chesham Literary Festival a non‑exclusive, royalty‑free licence to publish and/or broadcast the winning and commended poems, in print and online, in connection with the competition and related publicity, in perpetuity, with full credit to the author.​

• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome.​