Poetry Competition
Now open for entries
This year’s poetry competition judge is Liam Carson.
Liam Carson’s memoir call mother a lonely field, won extensive critical praise on its publication in 2010, and was short-listed for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize in 2013. It is described by poet Martina Evans as ‘A unique poetic meditation on an Irish-speaking family which draws fine threads between language and history and the life-saving properties of a wide-ranging selection of narratives, including family lore, folk songs, comic books and the heroics of mythology which underpin the Irish language. Liam Carson pours an astonishingly concentrated draught of wisdom into one slim volume.’
His latest book is Belfast Twilight, a collection of haiku that explore landscape, nature, family life, and memory. Presented in haikai (or haiku sequences), it creates kaleidoscopic montages that evoke various worlds – from Belfast’s docklands at twilight to windswept islands off the west of Ireland.
Bere Island Arts Festival International Poetry Prize
Judged by Liam Carson
We welcome original, unpublished poetry that responds to, reflects on, or is inspired by the image above.
Prizes: €250 (1st), €150 (2nd), €100 (3rd).
Conditions of Entry
The competition closes at midnight (GMT) on August 9th, 2026.
Entries must be written in English.
Entrants must be over 18.
Poems should be no longer than 40 lines, typed, and single-spaced.
All submissions must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant that responds to, reflects on, or is inspired by the image above.
All work submitted must be entirely your own human creation. The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar Large Language Models) to outline, draft, write, refine, or edit any part of a poem is strictly prohibited. Any submission found to be generated, in whole or in part, by AI will result in immediate disqualification. By submitting, the entrant warrants that the work is original to them and not generated by artificial intelligence.
Entrants may submit multiple poems, with a €7 entry fee per submission.
Each entry will receive a confirmation of receipt. If you have not received a confirmation email within 72 hours of submitting your entry, please check your spam or junk folder before contacting us.
Entries must be submitted via the form below. The author’s name and contact information must not appear in the same field as the poem.
After submitting the form below, you will be prompted to click a separate link to complete your payment.
All poems will be judged anonymously. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
No edits or alterations can be made once a poem has been submitted.
Bere Island Arts Festival reserves the right to publish selected entries on its own website as well as in associated festival publications. Copyright remains with the author.
The three prize-winning poets will be invited to read their work at the Bere Island Arts Festival on Saturday, September 19th, 2026.
By submitting a poem, entrants agree to all terms and conditions outlined above.