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Welsh Poetry Competition 2009

The 3rd Welsh Poetry Competition was launched this week in Pontypridd, South Wales.

The aim of the competition remains to encourage and reward the abundance of creative writing talent that exists in Wales but struggles for recognition.

Dave Lewis, competition organizer, said: “We are still a truly independent competition and all entries are judged anonymously. We want to recognize new voices with raw passion rather than the current trends within the literary establishment where it seems the same old faces crop up time and time again.

“We have had two years of success now with entries from Ireland, Spain, Corfu, Kenya, Canada, USA, Germany and Australia which firmly stamps the Welsh Poetry Competition as a truly international event. Most entries came from within Wales and the UK but we also had many online entries. A large number of those people said they entered because they thought it was a unique opportunity and felt that the competition would be judged fairly.

“Nearly all our winners have been new, unpublished writers, whilst many published writers didn’t win. We are not looking for a purely academic approach to poetry but would rather see pure passion burst onto the creative writing scene.

“Due to the success of our first two years we have increased the prize money for 2009. Prizes are: 1st Prize - £300, 2nd Prize - £150 and 3rd Prize - £75.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Welsh writer, Mike Jenkins, has agreed to judge this year’s competition. Mike is an award-winning Welsh poet and author, widely published and much in demand for his lively performances and writing workshops. Mike frequently appears on radio and television, has won Wales Book of the Year and the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry. He is also co-editor of the Red Poets, an annual magazine of left-wing poetry from Wales and beyond.”

To enter you just need to compose a poem, in English, of less than 50 lines and send to the competition organizers. Entry forms are available by post, can be downloaded from the website or picked up from RCT libraries. It is still only £3 to enter and the closing date is Sunday 21 June 2009.

For more information on the competition visit:
www.welshpoetry.co.uk

Or contact Dave Lewis: 07890 888585