Competition rules

General 

• The Wandering Words competition is free to enter. 

• It is aimed at writers with a connection to Shipley or Bradford district, but you can be based anywhere in the world. 

• There are three categories - primary, secondary and adult. In each category, collective as well as individual entries are welcomed. 

• Poems must be the entrant’s original work. 

• The closing date of the competition is midnight (GMT UK time), Sunday 8th June 2025. 

• We will aim to notify all entrants of the outcome before the end of June. 

• Winning entrants will be published in a poster trail around Shipley and on this website. 

• Maximum of 3 entries per person. Entry is via webform.  

• If you are entering more than 1 poem, please complete a separate form for each poem. 

• If you are submitting multiple poems for a school or community group, get in touch via our contact form in the first instance.

Poems  

• To fit on our trail posters, there is a 20-line limit per poem (or 100 words for prose poems). This does not include the title.

• All entries are judged anonymously and the poet’s name must not appear on the poem itself. 

• Please submit each poem as a (preferably) Word or PDF file. For under 12s only, we will also accept jpeg images of handwritten poems. 

• The language and content should be suitable for a mixed, family friendly audience. 

• Poems can be previously published in print or online. We will also accept simultaneous submissions. If you’re one of our winners, please notify us of any acknowledgements that we should include with your poem.

• Concrete poems that adhere to the line or word limit are welcome. However, please bear in mind that we may be limited on the formatting we can reproduce.