The 2014/15 Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition - Deadline 28th November 2014

One of the career milestones for very many poets of note has been winning the prestigious Poetry Business competition." — Anne-Marie Fyfe


The 2014/15 International Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition is now open for entries.

JUDGE: Billy Collins

DEADLINE: last post on the 28th November 2014; online entries accepted until midnight on the 1st of December 2014.

ENTRY FEE: £25, or £20 for North subscribers, Friends of the Poetry Business and members of the Poetry Society.

PRIZES: Publication by Smith|Doorstop Books, a share of £2,000 cash, publication in The North magazine, and launch readings hosted by the Poetry Business.


The 29th annual international Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition invites entrants to submit a collection of 20-24 pages of poems for the chance to win publication by smith|doorstop, a share of £2,000 ($3,250) and other prizes.


Four first-stage winners are selected and given the opportunity to submit a full-length manuscript to the second round of the competition, in which one of them can win book publication. The three first-stage winners will then receive pamphlet publication. All four winners will receive an equal share of the £2,000 prize money, and will have a launch reading organised by The Poetry Business and a selection of their poems published in The North magazine.

Full price entry costs £25. Subscribers to The North, Friends of The Poetry Business, and members of the Poetry Society are eligible for the discounted fee of £20.



The Judges








Former American Poet Laureate Billy Collins is 'the most popular poet in America' (The New York Times). His ten books of poetry include Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems (Random House in the US and Picador in the UK) and he has also compiled best-selling poetry anthologies. He has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation, and was awarded the inaugural Mark Twain Prize from the Poetry Foundation.

Billy Collins is currently Distinguished Professor at Lehman College (CUNY) and a senior Distinguished Fellow at the Winter Park institute of Rollins College.



Ann Sansom and Peter Sansom are directors of The Poetry Business and editors of The North magazine and Smith/Doorstop Books. Ann’s publications include Romance and In Praise of Men & Other People (Bloodaxe) and Peter’s include Writing Poems (Bloodaxe) and Selected Poems (Carcanet).

The Yorkshire Poetry Prize

The best single poem from each collection submitted by an entrant with a Yorkshire postcode is automatically entered into the Yorkshire Prize category, for the chance to win £100 and publication in The North magazine and on the Poetry Business website. This category is sponsored by the University of Sheffield. The Yorkshire Poetry Prize is sponsored by the University of Sheffield Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

The Yorkshire Poetry Prize is sponsored by the University of Sheffield Faculty of Arts and Humanities.