Poetry-next-the-Sea, www.poetry-next-the-sea.com, which runs the annual poetry festival in Wells (May 7–9), is staging its third open poetry competition, supported by Norfolk Community Foundation. The winners will be announced during the festival.

The competition is open to anyone living in Norfolk who has not had a pamphlet or collection of poems published. Writers whose poems have appeared in magazines or anthologies are eligible to enter.

The closing date for entries is Wednesday, April 7. There are two categories, student age 13 to 16 and adult over 16. Application forms are available from Wells and Fakenham Libraries or Susan Marshall tel. 01328 711813, email suzy948@btinternet.com.

Writers can enter up to three poems. Each poem must be 20 lines or less and must be unpublished. There is no charge to enter the competition.

Mike Bannister returns as judge for the second year. Mike is chair of Café Poets Halesworth and is president of the Suffolk Poetry Society. His poems have appeared in The London Magazine, Envoi, Other Poetry, Brittle Star, The Interpreters House, and a number of anthologies. His poem A Fourth Warming was short-listed for the Housman Society’s Poetry Prize (1992).

Commenting on last year’s judging process Mike Bannister said: "To be asked to read more than 100 poems was both a delight and an honour. Every poem bore its own small spark of nature. At first reading, 40 poems showed some evidence of crafting. To arrive at a final list, the friends and enemies of good poetry were unmasked one by one: cliché or originality? imagery or reportage? compression or long-winded? rhythm or broken-backed dissonance? plain word or pedantry? dull fact or metaphor? detachment or sentimentality? echoes or chimes or heavy-handed rhymes?"

First prize in 2009 went to Rob Knee for The Ark. Emily Trend won the student category for her poem In Memory of My Great Grandfather, Edward Theo Trend.

Fiona Fraser, Joint Artistic Director, Poetry-next-the-Sea festival, said: "We are looking forward to hearing from new Norfolk poets. We invite the winners to read their poems at the festival, which is an excellent showcase for both local and national poets. I would like to thank Norfolk Community Foundation for their support."

This year’s festival, Poetry-next-the-Sea 2010, Singing, Saying and Spirit-Level runs from Friday 7th May to Sunday 9th May and features Ronald Blythe, Kevin-Crossley-Holland, Joe Dunthorne, Laura Elliott, Grey Gowrie, Hugh Lupton, Sam Riviere, Jo Shapcott, Angus Sinclair, Pauline Stainer, Jon Stallworthy, Jack Underwood, Tom Warner and Julia Webb along with a series of poetry, voice and storytelling workshops.

Full details will soon be online at www.poetry-next-the-sea.com
Brochures will be available in mid March.