Deadline: 20 February 2025
The Christ Church, Oxford University is seeking applications for its Christopher Tower Poetry Competition offering UK’s most valuable prize for young poets.
The competition is free to enter and it is open to students between 16-18 years of age who are educated in the UK.
Theme
- Students are challenged to write a poem on the theme of ‘Roots’.
Prize Information
- The poet who writes the best single poem on the theme receives £5000. There will be a second prize of £3000, and a third prize of £1500. Along with these, there will be ten runners up, who will each receive £500. The top three winners will also be offered a future place on the Tower Poetry Summer School.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entrants must be at least 16 years of age, and under 19 years of age, on 20 February 2025.
- Entrants must be in full or part-time secondary education in the United Kingdom. Students enrolled on higher education courses are not eligible to enter the competition.
Ineligibility Criteria
- Poems with joint authorship are ineligible.
Application Requirements
- Entries for the Tower Poetry Prize 2025 must be on the designated theme.
- Entries must be written in English, and be no more than 48 lines in length.
- Entry must be made via the website, with true and accurate information given.
- Each entrant may submit only one poem.
- Poems may not be edited after they are submitted to the Tower Poetry Competition; only the first entry will be considered.
- Each poem must be the entrant’s own work: it must not incorporate poetry by others without acknowledgement and (where appropriate) citation, and it must not include substantial elements (phrases, lines, or larger blocks of composition) that have been suggested or authored by others engaged in providing specific editorial advice to the entrant.
- Entries must not have been created using AI.
- Poems must not have been previously published, broadcast or submitted to another competition.
- Names and addresses must not be included with the text of the poem, since entries are judged anonymously.
- ‘Track changes’ must be removed before submitting the poem.
For more information, visit Christ Church.
