Hampshire Young Poets 2026

Hampshire Young Poets is an annual competition run by Hampshire Cultural Trust and the Winchester Poetry Festival. It aims to inspire creativity and encourage a love of poetry, writing and words in young people across Hampshire. 

2026 Theme: Food

The rustle of a bag of crisps in a silent movie theatre. The disastrous birthday cake that lives on in family folklore. The feeling of biting into the crunchiest of carrots. The comforting aroma of sizzling spices. The stink of a rotten apple long forgotten in your schoolbag. The chaos of baking with your baby brother. How warm rotis feel between your fingers.  

Through this year’s theme we invite you to explore the world of food through your senses, your memories, your traditions and your emotions. Write a poem of no more than 14 lines and submit it for a chance to be one of this year’s winning poets.  

Judge: Damian Kelly-Basher (Hampshire Poet) 

The competition is open to young people who live or study in Hampshire in three age categories:
4 to 7 years | 8 to 11 years | 12 to 16 years

The first, second and third placed poems in each age category will each receive a prize.

Prizes

Our prizes sponsored by Paris Smith and P&G Wells

First prize in each category: £50 National Book Token, plus £50 National Book Token for your school/education provider

Second prize in each category: £25 National Book Token, plus £25 National Book Token for your school/education provider

Third prize in each category: £10 National Book Token, plus £10 National Book Token for your school/education provider

Certificates awarded to best lines in each category

Key dates:  

Entries close: Friday 22 May 2026

Winners contacted by 31 July 2026

Celebration event: Saturday 10 October 2026 at The Arc, Winchester during Winchester Poetry Day 

How to enter:

As an individual

Handwrite or type your poem and submit it as a digital document or photo. Please ensure that your name, age and school are written clearly on the poem. If you’re under the age of 13 you’ll need a teacher, parent or guardian’s permission to submit your entry.  

You can use our template to write your poem: 

Submit your entry here

As a teacher or educator

You can use one entry form to submit a batch of entries (up to 10) for a class or group. You can submit the poems as typed documents, or scan/take photos of the handwritten poems. Please ensure that the poet’s name, age and school are written clearly on their individual poem. Separate entries will need to be completed for each age category.  

You can use our template to for writing the poems:

Submit your batch entry here

Competition Rules

• The competition is open to any young person in the three specified age categories who lives or studies in Hampshire

• Entry is free, with submissions online only

• The poem should be no longer than 14 lines, in English, be the entrant’s own work and should not have been published elsewhere, including online, and not have won any other competition. You may only enter one poem

• Closing date is midnight GMT 22 May 2026

• No changes can be made once entries have been submitted

• The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into

• The winners will be contacted by email and announced at a ceremony at The Arc, Winchester, on Saturday 10 October 2026. Unfortunately, we are unable to contact entrants who have not been successful  

Hampshire Young Poets is a partnership between Hampshire Cultural Trust and Winchester Poetry Festival.