Tag Archives: The Moth Magazine

Moth Magazine invites your stories for children

Posted on by

Caterpillar_Photo by Judy Darley

The Caterpillar Poetry Prize is an annual prize for  unpublished poems written by adults for children aged 7–11.

The closing date for entries in 31st March 2025.
Every year since 2015, The Caterpillar Poetry Prize has been awarded to a single poem by a single judge – among them John Hegley, Chrissie Gittins, Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo and Michael Rosen.
Previous winners include Louise Greig, Coral Rumble, Laura Mucha, Carole Bromley and Ciara O’Connor.
What you could win
1st prize €1,000 plus a week at Circle of Misse in France
2nd prize €500
3rd prize €250
The winning poems will be published in the Irish Times online.
Your 2025 judge
Kate Wakeling’s work has been awarded the CLiPPA prize for children’s poetry and nominated for the Carnegie Medal and has been praised as ‘clever, funny, inspiring’ (The Sunday Times) and ‘both limpidly welcoming and profoundly meaningful’ (Guardian). Her collections have variously been selected as Books of the Month in the Guardian, The Scotsman and The Sunday Times.
How to enter
The Caterpillarar Prize is open to anyone (over 16), as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.The poems can be on any subject.

The entry fee is €15 per poem. You can ENTER ONLINE or send your poem(s) along with a cheque or postal order (Irish only) made payable to ‘The Moth Magazine Ltd.’ with an ENTRY FORM or a cover letter with your name and contact details and the title of your poem(s) attached to: The Caterpillar, Ardan Grange, Milltown, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland H14 K768.

**If you are concerned about formatting online, please go through the online process and then email your poem as a Word attachment with your entry number directly to enquiries@thecaterpillarmagazine.com.**

Please remember to READ THE RULES of the competition before you enter.
The winners will be announced in June 2025.
Moth Short Story Prize
You may also be interested to know The Moth Short Story Prize is open for entries until 30th June 2025, with Evie Wyld choosing the winner.
Email enquiries@thecaterpillarmagazine.com with any questions.

Submit your words to the Moth Poetry Prize

Posted on by

Moth by Judy Darley

The Moth Magazine invites you to enter the Moth Poetry Prize. The deadline for entries is 31st December 2024.

It’s one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single previously unpublished poem on any subject and is open to anyone over 16.
The prize is judged anonymously by a single poet, and this year that poet is Fiona Benson.
Fiona Benson is the author of four poetry collections: Bright Travellers, Vertigo & Ghost, Ephemeron and Midden Witch (forthcoming). All three of her published collections have been shortlisted for the T S Eliot prize, and her books have won the Forward Prize, the Seamus Heaney Prize, the Roehampton Poetry Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize.
In 2024 Fiona received a Cholmondley Award from the Society of Authors. She lives in mid-Devon with her husband and their two daughters.
The Prize is open to anyone (over 16) from anywhere in the world, as long as the work is original and previously unpublished.
There is no line limit, and the poems can be on any subject.
The shortlist will be announced in March 2025 and the four shortlisted poems will appear in the Irish Times online.
Prizes
  • The winner will receive €6,000
  • There are three runner-up prizes of €1,000. Eight commended entries will win prizes of  €250
  • The entry fee is €15 per poem.

The winner of The Moth Poetry Prize 2023 was American poet Lance Larsen with his poem ‘Things I’m Against.’

The winner of The Moth Poetry Prize 2022 was British poet Laurie Bolger with her poem ‘Parkland Walk’ chosen by Louise Glück.

Visit www.themothmagazine.com for full details.