The 28th annual Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition is now open and we’re delighted that our 2026 judge is poet, educator and multiple poetry slam champion Keith Jarrett, who was selected for the International Literary Showcase as an outstanding LGBT writer. His poem, ‘From the Log Book’, was projected onto St. Paul’s Cathedral. His play, Safest Spot in Town, was performed at the Old Vic and aired on BBC Four. Keith teaches at NYU in London, is a Poetry Society trustee, and his collection Hide Me Under the Blood and I Shall Be Satisfied (Bad Betty) is a PBS Spring 2026 Recommendation.

This year we’re offering five prizes, including two special categories: the Sonnet Prize and the Local Prize for best poem by a writer living in Hertfordshire or Essex. Poems for all categories may be on any subject, to a maximum length of 50 lines excluding the title.
Prizes: First prize £1,000; Second prize £500; Third prize £200; Sonnet prize £200; Local prize £200 for a poem by a resident of Hertfordshire or Essex.

All winning and commended poems will be featured in our 2026 Competition Anthology, with an introduction by Keith Jarrett. The poem that wins first prize will be automatically entered for the Forward Prize and all prize-winning poems will be published on the Ware Poets website. All prize-winning and commended poets will be invited to read their poem at a celebratory prize-giving event on Friday 10th July 2026 at Southern Maltings Arts Centre in Ware, Hertfordshire. Competition judge Keith Jarrett will present the prizes and treat us to a reading of his own poems in the second half.

Poems must be entirely your own original work. Poems generated in part or entirely by AI programming such as ChatGPT are not eligible.

Entry fee: £5 per poem

Find out more here

Deadline: 30 April 2026