The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is an annual free poetry competition run by The Poetry Society (UK), open to anyone aged 11-17 anywhere in the world. It is one of the most prestigious youth poetry prizes internationally, attracting over 6,700 entries each year and selecting 100 winners — a 1.5% acceptance rate.
Entrants may submit as many poems as they wish (each a maximum of 40 lines) through the online submission platform. Poems must be in English, previously unpublished, and solely authored. One hundred winners are chosen by a panel of high-profile judges: the top 15 winners are invited to attend a week-long intensive writing mentorship residency with Arvon and have their work published in the printed Foyle Young Poets Anthology. All 100 winners receive a year-long youth membership to The Poetry Society and a curated collection of poetry books. The 85 commended poets also have their work featured in an online anthology.
The 2026 competition deadline is July 31, 2026 (midnight BST). Awards are presented at a ceremony in England; international winners unable to attend in person are still fully recognized. The competition runs annually; results are typically announced in the autumn.