Applications are now open across the world for the Young Romantics Poetry and Essay Prizes to encourage poets and essayists aged 16-18 to respond to the work of the Romantic Poets.
The theme of 2025-26’s Young Romantics Poetry Prize is “Dystopia” or “Utopia”.
The Young Romantics Poetry and Essay Prizes offer young writers a valuable opportunity to showcase their creativity, with winners receiving £700 and two highly commended entrants in each category receiving £300.
Entry is FREE, and submissions must be uploaded via the official website by 10am GMT on Monday 2nd February 2026. Entrants must be aged 16 on 31 August 2025 and no older than 18 on 31 August 2026.
Winning and highly commended poems will be published in The Keats-Shelley Review, and all selected essays and poems will also appear on the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association’s website.
The Poetry Prize encourages entries that interpret “Dystopia” or “Utopia” freely, allowing space for serious, comic, experimental, or traditional approaches, while reminding entrants that drifting too far from the theme may affect consideration.
Poems must be no more than 30 lines and fit onto a single side of A4, and all work must be original, unpublished, and contemporary in style. The judges emphasise precision, energy, and individuality in poetic expression.
For the Essay Prize, young writers can choose between two questions focused on the appeal of dystopias in literature or the dual role of writers as insiders and outsiders. Essays must be 750 to 1000 words, original, unpublished, and properly sourced.
Judges are looking for well-organised, lively essays that argue a clear point and demonstrate a creative interest in Keats, Shelley, and their circle.
All submissions must include only the title on the entry document, as judging is conducted anonymously, and entries may be submitted from anywhere in the world in English as a Microsoft Word or PDF file.
The Young Romantics Poetry and Essay Prize began in 2015 to encourage poets and essayists aged 16-18 to respond to the work of the Romantics. Prize Judges have included Carol Ann Duffy, Stephen Fry, Liz Lochhead, Richard Holmes, Penelope Lively, Tom Paulin, Claire Tomalin, Jack Mapanje, Simon Barnes, Fiona Sampson and Tom Holland. This year’s chair of the judging panel is author, journalist and critic Rupert Christiansen.
For further information, please visit the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association website.
