The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2019 - Now Accepting Submissions

 

The prize is for a single unpublished poem written by an adult for children (aged 7–11)
The poem can be of any length and on any subject. 
Anyone can enter, as long as they are over 16.  

The prize will be judged by Brian Moses. Cited as ‘One of Britain’s favourite children’s poets,’ Brian’s poetry books and anthologies have sold over 1 million copies. He was commissioned by CBBC to write a poem for the Queen’s 80th birthday, and he is Reading Champion for the National Literacy Trust & Co-director of the Able Writers’ Scheme, which he founded in 2002.

Previous judges include Chrissie Gittins and John Hegley.

There is a fee of €12 per poem, and you can enter as many poems as you like.

The Winning Poem

The winning poem will be published in the summer 2019 issue of The Caterpillar and the winner will receive a cash prize of €1,000.

You can check out previous winners here, where you'll find links to their winning poems, published in the Irish Times.
Enter online here, or download an entry form here.

Flash 500 #FlashFiction Competition

 

I was delighted to come third in the winter 2018 Flash 500 flash fiction competition. Now in its tenth year, this quarterly open-themed competition has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December 2019. The results are announced within six weeks of each closing date and the three winning entries each quarter are published on the website.

Entry fee: £5/€6.50 for one story, £8/€10 for two stories
Optional critiques: £10/€13.50 per story

Prizes are as follows:

First: £300
Second: £200
Third: £100

Highly commended: Paperback copies of Retriever of Souls, Notes from the Margin and Vlad the Inhaler - Hero in the Making

The judge, Louise Philips, has this to say about my piece:

"This story explores a darkness many of us understand. It is raw, touching, and it makes the reader want to reach into the narrator, and tell them to hold tight. The emotion and the magic in this piece of prose is found in the minuteness, in the ordinary, in the sparse use of words and phraseology, while all the time bringing the reader further in, until we too, feel the pain."

You can read my piece here