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the End project in collaboration with the National Poetry Centre invited poets worldwide to submit original, previously unpublished work as part of the exciting research project exploring time, temporality, and the question of endings.

This initiative aims to draw inspiration from poets far and wide, inviting contributions on the themes of the research project, bringing new perspectives to the questions posed, 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.

ELIGIBILITY:

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

SUBMISSION:

Poets were invited to submit one poem of up to 40 lines that reflect the project’s themes and to include a brief cover note (max 200 words) explaining your engagement with temporality and endings.

Works should be individual entries (no collaborative works), previously unpublished and should credit any inspirations or source material appropriately.

For full guidelines, see below.

THE POETRY COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!

DEADLINE:

1st December, 2025

Winner (s) will be announced the week of 1st February, 2026

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 potentially shared on affiliated media channels.

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

JUDGES:

Professor Patricia Kingori, University of Oxford

Nick Barley, Director of the National Poetry Centre

Professor Laura Salisbury, University of Exeter

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

Salma Begum, Greyhound Literary Agents

Chris Hassan, Wellcome Trust

Nike Jonah, PACE (Pan-African Creative Exchange)

Khadijah Ibrahiim, Literary Activist, Poet, Writer

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

Salma Ali, winner of the Tate Collective Open Call

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Submissions may be used to inform ongoing research on ethical and social perspectives of endings.

See past entries and winners here.

Engage with the project here:

Instagram @aftertheendproject

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

X @after_endings

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 - submit the entry in mp4 format via wetransfer.com to admin@ethox.ox.ac.uk. Please also send the poem in word or pdf in an email attachment to admin@ethox.ox.ac.uk.

• 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.squarespace.com. 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 2025. Winners will be notified by email the week 1st Feb 2026.

• 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.