The Whispering Wisdom Second Poetry Competition is now OPEN

The theme is 'Love'.

The deadline is 31st October 2025.

Winners will be announced on 30th November 2025.

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Theme: Love

Whispering Wisdom’s second poetry competition invites you to explore the theme of LOVE. Kahlil Gibran wrote that 'work is love made visible' and William Blake wrote, 'To see the world in a grain of sand/And Heaven in a wild flower' - both poets show us how the everyday, the mundane, can be elevated through the experience and perception of love.

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We’re looking for heartfelt, reflective, or surprising interpretations of this universal experience. And this is not restricted to romantic love - it can be love of self, family, friends, culture, love of a favourite hobby, the divine, or piece of music, love of a special place, universal love in a spiritual or cosmological sense. We are looking for poems that move us, slow us down, open something, encourage us to think of love in a new way. Whether rooted in personal memory, spiritual insight, or ecological wonder, your voice is welcome here. 

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Prizes .....(because Artists should be paid for their creativity!)

• First Prize: £100

• Second Prize: £25

• Third Prize: £25

• SPECIAL CATEGORY  - FYLDE POETS - we offer an additional £25 prize for our favourite poem from poets living on the Fylde (FY postcode area). Please make sure to include your FY postcode so we can include you in the judging of this category. All FY poets will also be judged in the main competition.

All prizes are subject to entries. Winners and a selection of shortlisted poems will also be published on the Whispering Wisdom website and social media (with your permission).​

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Entry Guidelines

• Theme: LOVE

• Length: Up to 15 lines per poem (excluding title and line breaks). Poems exceeding 15 lines will not be considered.

• Language: English

• Format: Typed and previously unpublished. Poems must have a title but submissions are anonymous - see Submission Guidelines below.

• Deadline: Sunday 31st OCTOBER 2025, 11:59pm (UK time) 

• Winners: The winners will be announced on 3Oth November 2025 and notified via email. Winning entries will be published on our website in December 2025.

• Entry fees: 1 poem: £5.00. Further poems can be submitted for  £4 each. If you wish to submit more than one poem, please make payment via PayPal - our account is info@whisperingwisdom.co.uk. The fees helps fund the prize pot, cover admin costs, and support the development of future competitions from Whispering Wisdom. Please note that we are not able to offer FREE entries at this time. Please see our writers' resources page for details of other poetry competitions (this is a new page and we will be adding to it over time).

 

Thank you for supporting meaningful, values-driven poetry.

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​Submission Guidelines - How to Enter

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1. Pay your entry fee securely via  our website or via PayPal. Please note that the PayPal link here is only for one entry (set at £5.00 max). If you are submitting more than one poem, please visit PayPal directly and make a payment to our account at info@whisperingwisdom.co.uk  

2. Email your entries to info@whisperingwisdom.co.uk  with the subject line:
   Poetry Competition Entry – [Your Name]

3. Attach your poem(s) as Word or PDF files. Please do not include your name on the poems themselves — all entries are judged anonymously. If you are submitting more than one poem, please submit all your poems on the one email, along with a list of their titles.

4. In the body of your email, include:

   • Your full name and address - FYLDE POETS - PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ADD YOUR POSTCODE

   • Your contact email – if you have paid by PayPal and your PayPal uses a different email address, be sure to tell us your PayPal email address please.

   • The titles of the poems you’re submitting  - Every poem entered needs to have a title as we are judging entries anonymously – DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS!

   • A statement confirming that the poems are your original work and unpublished.

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Judging & Results

All entries will be judged blindly, based on creativity, resonance, technical craft, and alignment with the theme. Chris Allen, founder of  Whispering Wisdom, will be joined by Lancashire-based poet, David M Garnett (see his beautiful anthology, 'Roads Stretch') and award-winning poet and screenwriter, Peter Devonald (Winner Broken SpineReaders' Choice, Loft Books, Forward Prize and Children's BAFTA nominee) on the judging panel.

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AI-Generated Content Policy - Please read

At Whispering Wisdom, we celebrate the depth, nuance, and emotional resonance of human creativity and interaction. We recognise the growing role of AI in creative fields, but this poetry competition is intended to showcase the unique voice and lived experience of human writers.

Therefore:

• Submissions must be the original work of a human author.

• Poems that are fully or primarily generated by AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Sudowrite, Gemini, etc.) are not eligible.

• The core creative content — ideas, structure, voice, and language — must be your own.

• If we have reason to believe a poem has been AI-generated or substantially AI-assisted, it may be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.

We trust in the honesty and integrity of our entrants and ask that you submit only work that is genuinely your own. By submitting your poem/s to the competition, you are confirming that the poem is all your own work.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit more than one poem?
Yes – please  pay via Paypal if you are submitting more than one poem - our PayPal account is called info@whisperingwisdom.co.uk -information on multiple entries is set out above.

Do I have to stick to the theme exactly?
Your poem should connect meaningfully to the theme — but how you interpret that is entirely up to you.

Can my poem have been published elsewhere?
No — we only accept unpublished work (including blogs and social media).

Will I keep the rights to my poem?
Yes. If selected for publication, we’ll ask your permission. You retain full copyright.

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Spreading the Joy

5% of profits from these competitions will be donated to charity. This year’s chosen charities are Sarcoidosis UK and Narcolepsy UK. To find out more about the wonderful work they do, please visit their websites at https://www.sarcoidosisuk.org/ and https://www.narcolepsy.org.uk/ 

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