Coleridge Poetry Prize
"The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew. The furrow followed free".
Our 2026 competition is now open!
The Coleridge Poetry Prize is our annual poetry competition which we relaunched back in 2024. It was named in honour of the romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In 1797 Coleridge spent many days walking on Exmoor from his home in Nether Stowey and was inspired by the combination of its landscape and opium to write some of his most famous poems: Kubla Khan, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and, with William Wordsworth, the Lyrical Ballads.
2026 Competition Details:
- We are looking for poems (no longer than 40 lines) on any subject.
- It is free to enter this competition.
- Please submit your entry by email (info@exmoorsociety.com) as either a Word or PDF attachment.
- The attachment containing the poem should please not have your name anywhere on it – our judge asks for entries to be unnamed so he can judge them “blind” without knowing the identity of the poet, to ensure complete impartiality
- There is a maximum of 1 entry per person
- The winner will receive a £50 and will have their poem published in our flagship annual journal, The Exmoor Review, and also our website.
- If you have any questions regarding the competition, please email info@exmoorsociety.com and we will be happy to help you.
- Please refer to our full terms and conditions before entering the competition here.
- We are delighted that the competition will be judged once again by local resident Tom Cain, Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University, and a published poet and critic.
- The closing date for the competition is midnight on Tuesday 30th June 2026.
Happy writing!
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