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unpublished poem.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previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new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. Past judges include Claudia
Rankine, Billy
Collins, Nick Laird, Warsan Shire and Nobel Laureate Louise Glück.
Past winners include Aniqah Choudhri, 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 2022 was British poet Laurie Bolger. Watch
her read her winning poem ‘Parkland Walk’ here.
‘I am over the moon. To be recognised by Louise Glück is
honestly wonderful. Thank you for being so bloody lovely & making my year.’ Laurie Bolger
THE JUDGE
Hannah Sullivan’s debut
collection, Three Poems, won the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2019. She studied
Classics at Cambridge, received her PhD in English from Harvard, and taught as
an Assistant Professor at Stanford University. She is an Associate Professor of
English at New College, Oxford. Her latest collection, Was It For This, was
published by Faber earlier this year.
‘Sullivan's authority, reach and ambition are exhilarating.' Lavinia
Greenlaw, London Review of Books
HOW TO ENTER
The Prize is open to anyone (over 16) from anywhere in the world, 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the work is original and previously unpublished.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 2023
The shortlist will be announced in March 2024 and the four shortlisted poems
will appear in the Irish Times online.
The overall winner of €6,000 will be announced at a special award ceremony online
in the spring of 2024.
Call 00 353 (0)87 2657251 or email enquiries@themothmagazine.com for more
details.
TESTIMONIALS
‘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
