We're excited to be working with the AFTER THE END project who are putting poetry at the heart of their wide ranging research project exploring time and the question of endings. How does the way we think about time, and the way decisions are made about whether something has ended, shape our lives, our communities and our world? Read on to find out more about their work, and for the chance to submit new poems for the 2025/26 After The End Poetry project.
After the End Poetry Competition 2025/26 is launched! The After the End project in collaboration with the National Poetry Centre is inviting poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of the exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings. This initiative aims to draw inspiration from poets far and wide, inviting contributions on the themes of the research project, bringing new perspectives to the questions posed, seeking to understand who decides when something has ended and how different experiences of endings shape lives, communities, and policies globally. Poems should engage with the concept of "after the end," exploring the temporal, ethical, social, or emotional dimensions of endings. Submissions may draw on personal, historical, or global events, reflect on lived experiences, or experiment with form and perspective. There are no restrictions on style or genre. Open internationally to poets of all experience levels. We welcome submissions from new voices, established poets, and emerging talents and encourage innovative, reflective, and boundary-pushing poetry that amplifies underrepresented voices and perspectives. 🖊️ Submissions are invited of poems up to 40 lines to be submitted by 1st December 2025. The winners will be announced the week of 1st February 2026. For full details see https://lnkd.in/ePBn_jiC 🏅 PRIZES AND PUBLICATION: 🔸 The winning entry will be awarded £200, with those gaining second and third place receiving £100 each. 🔸 Selected winning poems will be featured on the After the End website and potentially shared on affiliated media channels. 🔸 All winners will contribute to a community of creative responses informing the broader research project. 🔸 Submissions may be used by the After the End research team to inform ongoing research on ethical and social perspectives of endings. See past entries and winners here: https://lnkd.in/eQ9TnTDF JUDGES: · Prof. Patricia Kingori, University of Oxford · Nick Barley, Director of the National Poetry Centre · Professor Laura Salisbury, University of Exeter · Professor Osman Sankoh (Mallam O.) Njala University and UNIMTECH, Sierra Leone and founder of the Sierra Leonean Writers Series (SLWS) · Salma Begum, Greyhound Literary · Christopher Hassan, Wellcome Trust · Nike Jonah FRSA, PACE (Pan-African Cultural Exchange) · Khadijah Ibrahim, Literary Activist, Poet, Writer National Poetry Centre, Ethox Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford Population Health, Somerville College, Ruth Ogden, Professor Emily Ying Yang CHAN, Yureshya Perera, Dora Vargha, debora diniz, Luciana Brito, Anna Powell, Halina Suwalowska, DPhil Please re-post and share with your networks!
endings are very important for conferences, events and coaching as well as for life events - poetry is perfect way to honour these National Poetry Centre
Co Executive Director, Forward Arts Foundation. Expertise in poetry, education, literacy, children's agency, strategy, organisational development, fundraising and human centred design.
1moGreat news on this #NationalPoetryDay!