“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew. The furrow followed free.” 

We are delighted to announce that the Exmoor Society has relaunched its annual poetry competition, 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. 

The competition is open to all for poems no longer than 40 lines and on any subject.

The winning entry will receive a prize of £50 and will feature on the Exmoor Society’s website and in other publications. 

Please submit your entries either by email (info@exmoorsociety.com) or post to the Exmoor Society, 23 Fore Street, Dulverton, Somerset, TA22 9EX.

The closing date for the 2025 competition will be midnight on Monday 30th June 2025.  To be the first to hear about competition updates, sign up to our monthly newsletter here.