Poem and Short Story Prize
Writing prize
Young Romantics
Love writing? Love the Romantics? The Keats-Shelley Memorial Association ( has announced a new prize for poems and short stories inspired by the Romantics, plus a 16–18 class in its annual essay competition.
Poem and short story prize
Theme
The theme for both poems and short stories this year is Lost Angels.
Prizes
A week-long creative writing course with Arvon working with practising writers at one of its famous residential centres. Winners will also be awarded £100 book tokens. Runners up will also receive book tokens. Arvon will help the winners choose the course they will most enjoy and these prizes can be deferred for up to 3 years.
The winning poems and short stories will be published on The Keats-Shelley Memorial Associationwebsite.
Judges
Matthew Sweeney and Kate Clanchy with Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy making the final selection.
Carol Ann Duffy became the first woman Poet Laureate in 2009 and her poetry has been on the National Curriculum since 1994. She published her first anthology at the age of 19. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry and Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. She writes:
‘Poetry is the great adventure of the young, as the Romantics demonstrated.’
Deadlines
Closing date for all entries: 14 March 2015
Winners of the first Young Romantics Prize will be notified in April and a short list will appear at
The Awards ceremony will take place in London on 21 April.
Conditions of entry
You must be 16 or over on 1 January 2015 and no more than 18 on 13 March 2015
All entries must be in Microsoft Office and accompanied by a completed entry form with your contact details.
You can download the entry form from English Review Extras, or the Young Romantics website and email with your entry to:
Poems/stories are sent to the judges anonymously so please do not put your name on your actual entry.
Your poems and short stories must be on the theme of Lost Angels.
Poems must be no more than 20 lines
Short stories must be no more than 1,000 words.
Your entry must be all your own work. Plagiarism will not be accepted by the judges.
You can enter up to two poems and two short stories.
Entries will be acknowledged.
Closing date for all entries 14 March 2015. Entry to the contest is free.
Keats-Shelley essay prize
The Keats-Shelley Prize is an annual competition for essaysand poems on Romantic themes. Inaugurated in 1998, the prize encourages writers to respond creatively to the work of the Romantics.
In 2015 there is a new essay class for 16–18 year olds
Judges
Carol Ann Duffy (chair)
Professor Simon Bainbridge and Professor Sharon Ruston
Deadline
Deadline for all entries: 1 February 2015.
How to enter
Essays in the 16–18 class should be no more than 1,500 words including quotations. Entrants in this class should be 16 or over on 1 January 2015 and no more than 18 on 13 March 2015.
Entries must be unpublished either in print or online and original work not previously submitted. Copyright will be assigned to the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association.
E-mail entries should be sent in Microsoft Word format to with a completed entry form, downloadable from English Review Extras, or the Young Romantics website.
Postal entries: send three typed A4 copies to: Keats-Shelley Prize, c/o Beaufort Montague Harris Solicitors, Old Bank House, 79 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury BS37 6AD
Entries will be acknowledged.
All entries are sent to the judges anonymously so please do not put your name on your actual entry.
Entries to the 16–18 essay class are free.
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