Submission Terms and Conditions

1.) All entries are anonymised for judging, so please do not add your name to your poem. The online system will ensure that your name is kept secure.

2.) Although we’re based in the UK, the Ginkgo Prize is international – we welcome submissions from all over the world.

3.) Applicants must be aged 18 or above.

4.) Poems must be written in the English language, translations are not eligible.

5.) Poems can be any length and follow any form. They don’t need to address a specific theme, but should in some way – thematically, structurally, linguistically or formally – investigate ecology, the environment, or the relationship between human culture and the natural world. Have a look at previous winners to see what found favour with last year’s judges: https://ginkgoprize.com/poems

6.) Poems cannot have been previously published and printed or be entered for any other prize.

7.) Applicants may submit as many poems as they like: first submission will cost £7 then it will cost £4 for each additional poem.

8.) Each poem must be entered individually.

9.) Poems must be the entrant’s original work.

10.) A poem written by more than one author is not eligible.

11.) Work submitted on behalf of an author who is deceased at the date of publication of the work is not eligible.

12.) Please check the date and eligibility guidelines carefully. Any work that does not meet the rules will be disqualified. The Ginkgo Prize’s decision on the eligibility of an entry is final and binding.

13.) The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel without notice and not to award prizes if, in the judges’ opinion, such an action is justified.

14.) Your poem will be read by an initial panel of sifting judges, who will then submit a final sort of 250 poems to the judges.

15.) No changes can be made to poems once they have been submitted. The judges’ decision is final. Neither the judges nor Poetry School staff will enter into any correspondence.

Submission Instructions

First Prize £5,000, Second Prize £2,000, Third Prize £1,000

We’re open for submission from 25 November 2022, 6pm GMT – 25 March 2023, 11.59pm GMT, you may enter here

We use Submittable — an online submissions portal, go to the ‘How to Enter’ tab and follow instructions. You will be asked to set up a Submittable account.

You will then be asked how many poems you would like to submit and you’ll be asked for payment: one poem is £7, then it is £4 for each additional poem. AONB ‘Best Poem of UK Landscape’ is free to enter if you’ve already paid to submit one poem to the Ginkgo Prize.

After payment and registration you’ll be emailed a link to submit your first poem. You will then be sent a follow-up email, confirming that we’ve received your poem. In this email there will be a link for you to submit another poem (if you’ve paid for multiple entries). If you’d just like to submit one poem then simply ignore this email.

AONB Prize: a link to submit a poem for ‘Best Poem of UK Landscape,’ will appear in the follow-up email to your initial submission. Simply click the link and follow instructions to enter this Prize for free, if you feel that your poem fits this criterion.

Each poem needs to be submitted individually, so you will keep receiving the follow up email with a submissions link until you’ve submitted all of your poems.

If you’re having trouble submitting your poem/poems please contact: support@submittable.com. And if you’re unclear about any of the prize’s terms and conditions please contact: jaz@poetryschool.com.

Please see our sister prize: The Laurel Prize. This prize has been founded by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage who has pledged his Laureate’s Honorarium of £5,000 each year to the Prize.
The Laurel Prize 2022 will be awarded to the best UK collection of ecopoetry. Submissions are from publishers and only published collections of 40 pages or more are eligible. Winners were announced October 2022.

For news on Ginkgo Prize free ecopoetry workshops as well as new essays and activities, keep in touch via our website, Instagram and Twitter.