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The poetry prize started by Ted Hughes is still a major part of the British literary scene and has launched the careers of Andrew Motion, Selima Hill and Don Paterson - just a few of our many winners.
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The prestigious Arvon International Poetry competition launches on Thursday May 13th 2010. To mark the thirtieth year of the prize we have a stellar panel of judging poets: Carol Ann Duffy is the Chair of Judges and she is supported by Elaine Feinstein - poet and translator of Russian legend Anna Akhmatova, and Sudeep Sen - a leading Indian poet and founder-editor of Atlas Literary journal. The top prize of £7500 for a single poem is one of the UK’s most lucrative and there are several runners up prizes of £2,500 and £1,000, plus 3 runners-up will receive £500 each. Entries cost just £7. 6,000 entries are usually received for over 30 countries worldwide giving the competition a truly global voice and we are aiming to increase that number this year. The 2010 Arvon International Poetry Competition will close for entries on 16 August. The winner will be announced at a special ceremony at Free Word Centre in 21 October and an anthology featuring all the winning poems will be produced. The Arvon International Poetry Competition was founded by Ted Hughes thirty years ago. The judges of the first poetry competition included Seamus Heaney and Philip Larkin; Andrew Motion was the first ever winner. “..nothing has diminished my gratitude to Arvon, nor my sense of its importance. On the contrary. The prize spurs writers on … and sharpens the profile of poetry. It’s part of the carnival of writing, and people need carnivals. The (Arvon) Foundation is one of the great forces for good in the country, doing a wonderful job at its local levels and feeding that benefit through into life in general. The prize is a way of advertising these things, as well as an end in itself. It deserves all the support it can get.” Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate, on winning the first ever competition Sponsorship opportunities: • An opportunity to be mentioned as sponsor in the launch article, written by Carol Ann Duffy, which will appear in the British press • Your logo on the entry form which will be posted and emailed to over 30 countries worldwide • An opportunity to attend the prize giving in October and to meet the judges, plus the chance to bring staff and VIP clients to the event • Your logo on the published anthology of winning poems which will be launched at the prize-giving event