Current Competition - SW POETRY COMPETITION 2026
Brief: Write a pastoral poem.
Word Count:40 lines Max
Judge: Andy Barrett
Thoughts From The Judge
I’ve developed a short definition, history and style (see handout)/minutes) of what a pastoral poem is, please feel free to develop any ideas there and to dig out any other definitions, methods or subversions you feel will help you.
The idea came from the initial suggestion of ‘Britishness’ for this competition. While fine in and of itself, I, like most I suspect, would be unable in this polarized world to separate my personal feelings, beliefs and principles from any work presented… This would not be fair to any writers expressing a view different to my own.
Thus the idea of Arcadian perfection seemed a good ‘step beyond’, as well as a theme that has nearly 3,000 years of tradition.
As with the last time I judged the SW Poetry Competition, I’m letting you know my preference for traditional forms of verse, but, as with the last time I judged the SW Poetry Competition, I’m fine if you all choose to ignore this. (winky face)
The great thing about poetry and its forms is the freedom it grants to subvert. I’ll be interested to see how you approach the dichotomy of expressing perfection and its impossibility therein.
Deadline:
MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 31st May 2026
Results:
Monday 6th July 2026
Rules:
Open to members only.
One entry per member.
Email entry only.
No author’s name to appear anywhere on the manuscript.
Title of piece and page number to appear on each page. (Footer or Header)
Title on Page 1 (Please do not use the title of competition as a title)
Line spacing – 1.5
Insert line count at the end of your piece.
If you are unsure about the formatting of your entry, you might find the Word documents on our website about suggested layouts and formats useful.
Submission Rules:
E-mail your poem as a word attachment the Adjudicator (Lorraine)
Your file must have the same name as the title of your entry prefixed by SWPO26. (e.g. SWPO26– A POEM)
Once all the entries are in, the Adjudicator (Lorraine) will send them electronically to the judge
Please note that the Adjudicator (Lorraine) will only check that your file opens and not carry out any formatting or corrections on your behalf So please ensure you check that you have adhered to the rules and check you presentation, spellings etc.
You will receive an e-mail from the Adjudicator (Lorraine) confirming both when they have your entry and when it has been received by the judge.
For this competition, work may be discussed amongst members but is entirely up to the individual and done on a mutual basis between writer and reader. Members should not discuss any other entries without the permission of the author to respect the privacy of those who wish to keep their work to themselves.
Failure to comply with any of the rules may result in your work being withdrawn from the competition.
Good Luck
Slough Writers Competitions (in general)
Style guides can be found here: Format & Layout, Instructions
Each term and over the summer break the Group organises a competition for members. See below for the terms of the currently-active competition.
Article over the Autumn term.
Short Story over the Spring term.
Poetry over the Summer term.
Varied topic over the summer break.
An external judge is appointed and there is a trophy for the winner and cash prizes for the three winning entries. The Summer competition sometimes involves the participants critiquing and ranking the other entries.
For more information about our competitions and trophies, please read About us page.