The London Magazine Poetry Prize

 Full details 

The London Magazine is the UK’s oldest literary magazine, proud to have published some of the biggest names in poetry including T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and Philip Larkin. Past winners include Kathryn Bevis, Jay Gao and Isabelle Baafi. 

Now, continuing that tradition, we launch our 2025 Poetry Prize. We are delighted to announce that entries will be judged by: Fiona Benson, Jason Allen-Paisant and Mai Serhan.

Established to encourage emerging literary talent, the award provides an opportunity for publication and recognition. While there is no criteria as to theme, form or style, judges are looking for resonant and accomplished work. 

Poems must be previously unpublished and no longer than 40 lines. Submissions are open for international entries. 

All three prize winners will appear in a print issue of The London Magazine. Prize winners will also receive cash prizes, and will be celebrated at a prize-giving event in the summer.

This year, in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, all profits from the entry fees will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians. 

MAP have been working in Palestine and Lebanon for more than 40 years. They work with Palestinian communities to deliver locally-led health and medical care to those worst affected by conflict, occupation and displacement.

MAP’s local teams are among the first to respond to emergencies and are usually one of the only international organisations who are working to provide humanitarian and medical services. MAP are also committed to speaking out against injustices that prevent Palestinians from fully enjoying their rights to health and dignity, and campaign to ensure the voices of Palestinians impacted by occupation, displacement and conflict are heard at the highest levels.

---

Information

Entry fee: £10 per poem

Subsequent entries: £5 per poem

Student/Low Income Entry: £5 per poem
(Must be submitted with a valid university email address)

Note: There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.

Opening date: 23rd December 2024
Closing date: 31st March 2025

First Prize: £500
Second Prize: £300
Third Prize: £200

Enter The London Magazine Poetry Prize

We are interested in a wide variety of topics and many different styles of writing. However, we do find that those who are familiar with what we publish stand a far better chance of having their submissions accepted, so we also recommend getting your hands on a copy of our print journal which can be purchased here from our shop.

---

Judge 

Jason Allen-Paisant is a Jamaican writer and multi-award-winning poet. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books of poetry, Thinking with Trees and Self-Portrait as Othello, which won the UK’s two most prestigious poetry awards for 2023 – the Forward Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize. He is also a Professor of Critical Theory and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester and Associate Editor of Callaloo Literary Journal.

Jason is looking for ‘surprise’ in the submissions: ‘I’m a sucker for a poem that keeps me on edge – a poem that, from the outset, shows it’s taking risks, living on the knife’s edge. I love when a poem doesn’t quite know where it’s going but invites me along for the journey. Poems that already know their destination don’t interest me.’

‘I’m especially drawn to poems where the poet is clearly aware of the potential for failure – where something in the poem itself discloses that uncertainty. And yet, the thrill lies in following the poem wherever it leads, embracing the possibility of failure while knowing the rewards could be extraordinary.’