Shelley Memorial Project launches Poetry Competition 2023 for Sussex

Inspired by the success of their first poetry competition, which was launched during their Shelley 200 Festival last year, the Shelley Memorial Project have organised a second competition and hope to make this an annual event. The theme for this year's competition is ' The Spirit of Rebellion '. Entries are welcomed from any one aged 18 and above.

Percy Bysshe Shelley is recognised as one of the leading English romantic poets and is equally well known as a radical thinker who wrote some of the most famous radical poems in the English language.

The theme for this year's competition has been chosen to reflect both Shelley's status as one of the greatest radical poets and to reflect the political and social turmoil that seems to prevail across the world today.

Turbulent times inspire great poetry and the Shelley Memorial Project hope to see poems of a high calibre competing for the first prize of £ 250, and prizes of £100 and £ 50 for the second and third placed poems. To encourage aspiring local poets to take inspiration from the great Sussex born poet, an additional prize, the Shelley Memorial Cup, will be awarded the best poem written by a Sussex-based poet.

Carol Hayton, the competition secretary said, ' We were very pleased with the national and international response we received last year and are delighted to be holding our competition again, and to have two great poets involved with this project. Simon Zec, who is himself a Sussex based poet, will judge the competition and Roger McGough, one of the country’s best loved poets, will award the prizes at the celebration event that will once again take place in St Margaret’s Church Warnham, where Shelley was baptised. At the event on 14th October, Roger will also be reading some of his poetry and signing copies of his most recent collections. ‘

The deadline for applications is September 8 2023. Full details of the rules of the competition and how to enter can be found of the Shelley Memorial Project’s website: shelleymemorialproject.co.uk/competition-2023

or by contacting the project email address: [email protected]