The After the End project in partnership with the National Poetry Centre invites poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of an exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings.

This initiative is part of a long-term, interdisciplinary research project seeking to understand who decides when something has ended and how different experiences of endings shape lives, communities, and policies globally.

THEME:

Poems should engage with the concept of "after the end," exploring the temporal, ethical, social, or emotional dimensions of endings. Submissions may draw on personal, historical, or global events, reflect on lived experiences, or experiment with form and perspective. There are no restrictions on style or genre. We encourage innovative, reflective, and boundary-pushing poetry that amplifies underrepresented voices and perspectives.

POETRY IN RESEARCH:

The project team would like to use the poetry submissions to inform the research on ethical and social perspectives of endings, by analysing the body of poetry submitted and looking at themes and ideas that emerge in the poetry year on year. You will be asked if you would like your poetry to be included in the research when you submit your poem.

ELIGIBILITY:

Open internationally to poets of all experience levels. We welcome submissions from new voices, established poets, and emerging talents.

GUIDELINES:

• Submit one poem that reflect the project’s themes.

• Maximum length: 40 lines per poem

• Format: Typed, single-spaced, in .DOC, .DOCX, .ODT, or PDF

• Individual entries only (no collaborative works)

• Previously unpublished works only (online or print publication considered; please ensure retain the rights to submit)

• Credit any inspirations or source material appropriately

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Please submit online at After the End Poetry Competition 2026

DEADLINE:

1st December, 2026

Winner (s) will be announced on the 1st February, 2027

PRIZES AND PUBLICATION:

• The winning entry will be awarded £200, with those gaining second and third place receiving £100 each.

• Selected winning poems will be featured on the After the End website and social media channels.

• All winners will contribute to a community of creative responses informing the broader research project.

See past entries and winners here

ENGAGE WITH THE PROJECT:

Instagram @aftertheendproject

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/after-the-end-project/

X @after_endings

JUDGES:

Professor Patricia Kingori, University of Oxford

Nick Barley, Director of the National Poetry Centre

Professor Laura Salisbury, University of Exeter

Professor Osman Sankoh, Njala University, Sierra Leone and founder of the Sierra Leonean Writers Series (SLWS)

Nike Jonah, PACE (Pan-African Cultural Exchange)

Khadijah Ibrahim, Literary Activist, Poet, Writer

Eleni Barrett, winner of the Orwell Youth Prize for Poetry 2025

Salma Ali, Winner of Tate Collective Open Call 2025

Poetry competition guidelines

• Entries are one poem of up to 40 lines or a spoken word video performance

• Only one entry per poet

• Previously unpublished work only

• Spoken word video performance must be under 3 minutes total

• All entries must be formatted as a single-spaced word document or PDF.

• Spoken Word submissions are accepted in mp4 format.

• All entries are judged anonymously, therefore, please do not include your name or any identifying information in the documents you upload. You should include this information only in the body of the email.

• This is an international competition, and all entries must be in English.

• All entries must be the entrant’s own original work, and must not have been generated, in whole or part, by a chatbot or other artificial intelligence.

• The author must have the right to publish the poem on aftertheend.org. The copyright remains with the author.

• No corrections post-entry can be accepted.

• The results of the competition will be published online and the decision of the judge(s) will be final.

• No correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.

• The closing date for entries is midnight (UK time) on 1st December 2026. Winners will be notified by email the week 1st Feb 2027.

• Entries will not be eligible where the writer is part of the judging process, or anyone involved in the management/administration of the Prize, or a close family relative of any such person.