ABOUT THE PRIZE 

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.

The prize is judged anonymously by a single poet. The judge only learns who the shortlisted poets are following the selection of the winning poems. Past judges include Claudia Rankine, Marie Howe, Deborah Landau, Daljit Nagra, Leontia Flynn, Billy Collins, Nick Laird and Warsan Shire.  
 
Past winners include Michael Lavers, Natalya Anderson, Lee Sharkey, Ann Gray (whose poem was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem) and Abigail Parry (who was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection). 
The winner of The Moth Poetry Prize 2021 was British poet Aniqah Choudhri. You can watch her read her winning poem ‘The Unloving Ground’ here. 

THE JUDGE

Louise Glück won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature. The judges praised ‘her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.’ Her other awards include the Pulitzer Prize, National Humanities Medal, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award and Bollingen Prize. From 2003 to 2004, she was Poet Laureate of the United States.
 

HOW TO ENTER

The Prize is open to anyone (over 16), as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.

There is no line limit, and the poems can be on any subject.

The entry fee is €15 per poem. You can ENTER ONLINE or send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order made payable to ‘The Moth Magazine Ltd.’ with an ENTRY FORM or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of your poem(s) attached to: The Moth, Ardan Grange, Milltown, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland H14 K768. 

**If you are concerned about formatting online, please go through the online process and then email your poem as a Word attachment with your entry number directly to enquiries@themothmagazine.com.** 

Please remember to READ THE RULES of the competition before you enter.

CLOSING DATE 31 DECEMBER 2022

The shortlist will be announced in March 2023 and the four shortlisted poems will appear in the spring 2023 issue of The Moth.

The overall winner of €6,000 will be announced at a special award ceremony at Poetry Ireland in Dublin in the spring of 2023.

Call 00 353 (0)87 2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more details.

‘Judging The Moth Poetry Prize was a beautiful experience. I’ve come away changed ‒ inspired and hopeful.’ Warsan Shire
 
‘The great thing about winning with this poem is that I have actually submitted it to other competitions without success. Sometimes you have to give up on your favourites, but sometimes it is worth ignoring the feedback and sticking with your gut. I am glad I did with this poem.’ Damen O’Brien