You might have heard Vivaldi's Four Seasons, but did you know that the musician wrote sonnets to help him map out his seasonal concertos? Or that nearly 300 years later, composer Max Richter released a new version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons as a modern retelling?

In 2026 Swaledale Festival will explore the four seasons through music, visual art, words and more.

Swaledale Festival invites you to share your poetry inspired by the seasons. This exciting open call brings together and celebrates the creativity of people of any age, stage, background or experience level - from longstanding professionals to total newbies - putting new work at the heart of the Festival. Everyone is welcome.

What are we looking for?
Unpublished poems (max 30 lines) that explore anything seasons-related! We especially welcome work from poets living in the northern Yorkshire Dales. While it's wonderful if your poem reflects our local landscape, more general seasonal themes are also encouraged.

Need inspiration?
Just step outside and focus on your senses. What can you see, hear, smell and touch? What tastes do you associate with the summer? Think about your own experiences. Do you have memories of summers past? Are your summers changing? What feelings or images or ideas arise? You could also check out this collection of summer poems from the Poetry Foundation.

All entries will be considered for publication and celebration before and during Swaledale Festival 2026. 

There is no entry fee and you can submit as many times as you like throughout the year, up until 30 April 2026.
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Find out more here

Deadline: 30 April 2026

Image credit: © Toamna în padure by Balan Viorica - Moldova National Museum Complex, Romania - CC BY-SA.