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Poetry (Single Poem)

Poetry-Single-covers-website

Our 2026 Poetry Competition is now open!

Our judge this year is award-winning poet Rachel Long.

Send up to three poems. The winning poem will win £2,000, plus publication in Mslexia. Closing date: 7 December.

What to find out how our 2025 competition winner Joanne Key did it? Read 'Owl fever' and find out how Joanne did it here. You can also read poems from the three runners up, plus sixteen additional finalists by ordering Issue 109 here.

Enter below!

Current Competitions
Closes
7
Dec
Women's Poetry Competition 2026
Women's Poetry Competition 2026

1st prize £2,000; 2nd prize £500; 3rd prize £250; plus our Unpublished Poet Prize of £250, which will be awarded to the best poem by an unpublished poet. The four winners, plus 16 additional finalists will be published in Mslexia. Judge: Rachel Long. Entry fee: £12 for three poems. Closing date: 7 December 2026.

Enter
Poetry (Single Poem) Winner

Every year Mslexia helps Arvon reach an engaged, diverse and vibrant community of writers. It is without a doubt a core part of our advertising campaign.

Arvon Foundation

We have been advertising in Mslexia since 2014 and the service we receive is second-to-none. We have been able to introduce our postgraduate courses, short courses and annual writing competition to a highly targeted market and have benefitted hugely from the results.

Manchester Metropolitan University

Advertising with Mslexia is a rare delight. Easy, flexible – can I say “forgiving”? – and, with exactly the right audience for us, effective, too.

Faber Academy

A huge basket full of ‘thank you’s for all the Mslexia Max events − the best thing that ever happened to me as a writer. Not only did my novel pitch profit a lot from the thoughtful feedback you gave me during the ‘pitch surgeries,’ but one of the Max events changed my writers’ life.

Sophie van Llewyn, author of Bottled Goods

Mslexia was a tangible support to me in the anguished years of writing my first novel and continues to be a source of bristling writerly energy.

Diana Evans

The sort of friend you never outgrow - a source of tips, tricks and deeper inspiration.

Hilary Mantel

The place for poets to see and be seen.

Carol Ann Duffy

I remember when I was writing my first novel - what a lifeline Mslexia was.

Naomi Alderman

There is no other writing magazine on the market that comes anywhere close to the quality of Mslexia. I began my subscription when I was a new writer; I'm a professional now and the magazine continues to cater for my needs as much as ever - as my writing buddy, mentor and literary news feed.

Zosia Wand

Inspired, inspiring, invaluable.

Sarah Waters
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