Tales from the Riverbank Poetry Competition

Woman writing in nature © Matthew Roberts

Are you aged 7-18? Do you enjoy creative writing? Then it's time to get inspired by the wonderful world of chalk streams! Enter your poem, and you could be a winner in the Tales from the Riverbank Poetry Competition - a collaboration between the Watercress and Winterbournes scheme and Hampshire Library Service

The competition has four categories:

7-9 years
10-12 years
13-15 years
16-18 years

There is a first, second, and third place prize for each of these categories:

First Place wins a £75 National Book Token.
Second Place wins a £50 National Book Token.
Third Place wins a £25 National Book Token.

Competition rules

To enter the competition, you must:

Live within the Watercress and Winterbournes scheme area (see map below).
Be aged 7-18 on the date the competition closes (31^st July 2024).
Have permission from your parent or guardian to participate.

To be eligible for this competition, your poem must:

Have chalk streams as its theme.
Be written in English.
Be no more than 14 lines long.
Be an original work of your own creation.
Not have been published anywhere (including online).
Not have previously won any other competitions.

Entry and judging process:

The competition is free to enter.
The competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 31^st July 2024.
You cannot change your poem once it has been entered.
Your poem will not be returned to you, so please keep your own copy.
The poems will be judged by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and Hampshire Library Service.
Unfortunately we can’t provide feedback, so you will only hear from us if you have been chosen as a winner.
If you are chosen as a winner, but cannot be contacted, then the prize will be awarded to another entrant.
Our decision on all matters relating to the competition is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Use of your poem:

The winning poems will be made into a booklet, copies of which will be provided to the winners and to local libraries. By entering a poem into this competition, you agree to its inclusion in this booklet. You retain ownership and will be credited as the author.
Entering your poem also gives the Watercress and Winterbournes partners permission to use it to document and promote the activities of the scheme. This may involve sharing it with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. You retain ownership and will be credited as the author.

How to enter

There are three ways to enter the competition:

Online, using the digital form below.
By post, using a printed entry form.
In person, by attending one of our writing workshops.

Online entry form

First name:

Last name:

Date of birth:

Address:

Where did you hear about this competition?

Parent/guardian name:

Parent/guardian email address:

Parent/guardian phone number:

Preferred form of contact:

Phone

I am a parent/guardian of the named under-18 entrant, and I give my permission for them to participate in this competition.

I am the competition entrant, and I confirm that I have understood and followed the competition rules, and that the information I have provided in this form is complete, true, and accurate.

Please upload your poem:

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt, rtf, odf, pdf, doc, docx.

Layers

Key

Chalk stream

Poetry activity guide

Need some help getting started with your poem? Download our free poetry activity guide! Print it at home, and use it to spark inspiration - it's perfect for families, schools, and youth groups.

A4 guide (print 1- or 2-sided)

A5 guide (print 2-sided and fold)

Literature festival

Want to get inspired in person? Come along to our literature festival this summer! With writing workshops and talks by inspiring authors, you'll find plenty of creative inspiration.

Learn more