The Tower Poetry Competition 2026

The Tower Poetry Competition is open to young poets in the UK between 16 and 18 years of age who are educated.

The Tower Poetry Competition

The Tower Poetry Competition is open to young poets in the UK between 16 and 18 years of age who are educated. The competition is free to enter and judged by two guest judges and the Christopher Tower Student, Dr Anna Nickerson.

Prizes for the Tower Poetry Competition

The poet who writes the single best poem on the theme receives £5,000. There will be a second prize of £3,000, and a third prize of £1,500. Along with these, there will be ten runners up, who will each receive £500. The top three winners will also be offered a place on the Tower Poetry Summer School.

Theme for the Tower Poetry Competition

The 2026 Competition is now open. The theme is 'A Riddle'.

Terms and Conditions for the Tower Poetry Competition

Eligibility:

Entrants must be at least 16 years of age, and under 19 years of age, on 19 February 2026.

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.

The competition is not open to family members or close relatives of employees of Christ Church, Oxford. 

Submission Guidelines for the Tower Poetry Competition

• Entry must be made via the website, with true and accurate information given.
• The closing date for entries is 12 noon on 19 February 2026. Entries submitted after 12 noon will not be considered by the judges.
• Entries for the Tower Poetry Prize 2026 must be on the designated theme.
• Entries must be written in English, and be no more than 48 lines in length.
• Text should be in Ariel font, size 12, unless another font or size is required to fulfil a particular artistic purpose.
• Each entrant may submit only one poem; if an entrant submits more than poem, only the first entry will be considered.
• Poems may not be edited after they are submitted to the Tower Poetry Competition; if an entrant deletes their first submission and resubmits a revised version, both entries will be disqualified.
• 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.
• Poems must not have been previously published, broadcast, or submitted to another competition. 

Originality 

• Poems with joint authorship are ineligible.
• 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 generative AI. 

Award of Prizes 

The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into concerning this decision.

The copyright of each poem remains with the author. Authors of the winning poems will grant Christ Church permission to publish or broadcast the poems in print and online in perpetuity. 

The official information page.