The Laurel Prize 2023 (Prize: £9000)
The Laurel Prize for Poetry 2023 is currently open to all poets to encourage nature and environmental writing in poetry.
According to Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate;
“We are facing the most catastrophic threat to the future of our planet that we have ever encountered, Over the course of my ten year Laureateship I want one of the headline projects to be a prize or award that recognises and encourages the resurgence of nature and environmental writing, currently taking place in poetry. The new wave of nature writing in non-fiction has been well documented over recent years but not enough attention has been paid to a similar move in poetry, with climate crisis and environmental concerns clearly provoking this important strand of work.
I have established The Laurel Prize as an annual award for the best collection of nature or environmental poetry to highlight the climate crisis and raise awareness of the challenges and potential solutions at this critical point in our planet’s life.”
Submission Guidelines for The Laurel Prize 2023
1) Collections of poetry must be submitted by the publisher. Collections entered must have been published between 17 April 2022 – 31 May 2023.
2) Entries are open to all poets writing in the English language anywhere in the world. Writing must be eloquent and edited properly.
3) Four copies of each book submitted must be sent to – The Laurel Prize, 39 Mosedale, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0HP, United Kingdom and a digital copy to sally@poetryschool.com
4) All entries must have been published in English within the dates specified above. Translations from other languages are not eligible.
5) Entries from individual poets of their own work will not be accepted. This includes self-published collections, or collections that the poet has paid to have published.
6) Publishers may enter up to four separate collections of poetry.
7) Collections may be submitted in bound proof form if the final book is not available before the submission deadline, along with a digital copy of the manuscript
8) Pamphlets are not eligible for the Laurel Prize. All collections should be more than 40 pages.
Download a copy of the application form on The Laurel Prize website.
Prize
The first-place winner will receive £5000
Deadline
Entry for submissions closes on the 31st of May, 2023. Goodluck.
