Freedom From Torture has announced the return of its biennial poetry competition. This year's competition theme is Worlds into Words, inspired by the journeys people carry within them - across countries, across cultures, and across the landscapes of memory and identity. Judges: Alan Hollinghurst and Rachael Allen.
It also reflects the experiences of survivors of torture, whose journeys are not only physical but deeply psychological, shaped by resilience, loss, and the search for belonging.
Your poem might explore what it means to leave home, to begin again, or to carry multiple worlds within you. It could reflect on displacement or belonging, silence or expression, trauma or hope. As always, the theme is open to interpretation - your entry should reflect what Worlds into Words means to you.
Poems can be submitted from anywhere in the world, in any style, with a preferred length limit of 40 lines
First Prize
Zoom mentoring session with Poet and Fitzcarraldo Editions editor Rachael Allen
Two VIP tickets to our London Library Event
Your poem will be published in our quarterly newsletter The Survivor, circulated to some 26,000 supporters across the UK, and on our website
Your poem will be printed in the London Library event programme, circulated to 150 esteemed guests including authors, poets, publishers and celebrities
Book bundles for the winner and runners up
All winners will have their poem featured on Freedom from Torture’s website with winners promoted on social media and promoted to press and media in the run up to the event
Entry: £5 (or £1 for under 18s) Free for anyone with lived experience as a refugee.
Find out more here
Deadline: Friday 9th October 2026 at 5pm