English Writing Competition 2025/26

Creative writing entries may include up to three short poems (no more than 30 lines each) or one long poem (around 100 lines), a piece of extended prose (no more than 1000 words), or a playscript (around 100 lines). We are open to other suggestions, but please write to confirm before submitting.

Essays should be no more than 1000 words. They must include close analysis of one or more primary text written in English (a novel, poem, or play). We encourage you to think creatively about how your chosen text engages this year’s theme. How does it ask us to think differently about the idea of flight? What possibilities does flight enable for your text, especially when it comes to questions of literary form?

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