The topic for this year's Medway River Lit Laureate competition is 'River'. 

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You have the whole summer, (or you could even get started now!) on writing a poem for the competition. If you enter and are one of the winners of your age category, you'll win a prize including a book token and books, but you'll also have the opportunity to be part of the Laureate Scheme which offers optional outside of school hours writing workshops and other opportunities throughout the year. 

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Read our Laureate Indigo's blog about their experience on the scheme.  

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The competition isn't officially open until Medway Libraries' Summer Reading Challenge begins, so don't send us your poem yet!

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Key points: 

•    Age range: 12-17
•    Poems must be your own work, unpublished, not AI assisted, and up to 40 lines, in English.
•    Opening date: 20/06/26

•    Closing date: 12/09/26.
•    In order to be eligible, contestants must have Medway Library membership. You can sign up in any library, if you are a resident of Medway. See more here. 

•    There will be a winner, second place and third place in each age category, who will form part of our year-long Laureate Scheme.

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About the Medway Youth Laureates Scheme

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Medway Youth Laureate 2024

For Medway River Lit 2024 we were excited to launch the Medway Youth Laureate Scheme with 

Medway Libraries.​ Poets were asked to write a poem in response to the question: 'What's the weather like?' ​​The award ceremony was part of Medway River Lit and Anne-Marie was privileged to present certificates and prizes (a book token and book generously provided by Medway Council's Climate Response Team, plus books from publishers Crystal Peake and Wordsmithery,) to our first Laureates, Lydia (16-17), Indigo (14-15) and Jessica (12-13). Find out more here. 

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Medway Youth Laureate 2025

In the second year of the Medway Youth Laureate, poets wrote a poem responding to the theme of: 'Earth, Air, Fire, & Water.' Winners were announced at Medway River Lit launch and prizes awarded by our patron, poet Theresa Lola.

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1st: 12-13 age category

Taylor Bailey 'Smiling Deep Blue'

1st: 14-15 age category:

Irene Obadare 'The pleas of the speechless'

1st:16-17 age category:

Julija Kuka 'The Tarnished Flame'

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See the blog for the full list of winners. 

Find out more
 

Winners also had the opportunity to attend regular writing workshops and are writing pieces which will be published in an anthology.

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​​TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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Terms and conditions:
General:

• The competition is open to members of Medway Libraries aged 12-17 as of 20/06/26.

• The closing date of the competition is midnight (UK time), 12/09/26.

• There will be three age categories (12-13, 14-15, 16-17) and your work will be assessed in the age category that you are as of 20/06/26.

• Please submit one poem only. All entries will be considered anonymously by the judges.

• Entries will not be returned, so please keep a copy.

• Under no circumstances can alterations be made to poems once entered.

• Entrants will receive confirmation by email within 24 hours, if you haven’t received acknowledgement within 24 hours, please check your spam folder. If there is still no acknowledgement, please email. 

• 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. 

• The judges will be a representative of Wordsmithery/Medway River Lit and an invited external judge.

• The judges will read all the entries; their decision is final. Neither the judges nor Wordsmithery/Medway River Lit staff will enter into any correspondence.

• No current employee (or immediate family of) of Wordsmithery/Medway River Lit or Medway Libraries is eligible to enter the Medway Youth Laureate Competition.

• Any queries, please email. 

• Entry is completely free.

 

Poems:

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

• All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title, dedication, intros/footnotes, or stanza breaks). Entries can be on any interpretation of the theme ‘River’ including, but not limited to issues surrounding Climate Change. Be inventive!

• Poems must be in English.

• Poems must be the entrant’s original work.

• Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on a website or made public on social media, broadcast or featured among the winners in another competition before 01/09/26.

• No simultaneous submissions.

• Poems should be submitted in a Word document as an attachment to riverlit24@gmail.com with the subject heading 'Laureate Competition'. Put your name, library card number, date of birth and title of the poem in the email's body. 

• You can also post or hand your entry into any Medway Library. Please don’t put your name on the poem, and include another piece of paper with your name, library card number, date of birth and title of poem on. (This will be separated from the poem.) 
   

• Address the envelope to:

Medway Laureate Competition, Chatham Library and Community Hub, Gun Wharf Gardens Road, Dock Rd, Chatham ME4 4TX.

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Long-listed, short-listed and winning poems: 

• All entrants and long-listed poets will be notified by the middle of October 2026.

• Short-listed poets will be selected from the longlist by the end of October 2026 and invited to an awards event as part of Medway River Lit in November 2026.

• The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, authors of the long-listed, short-listed and winning poems, by entering the competition, grant Medway Libraries/Medway River Lit the right to publish their poem in all formats.

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​Prizes:

• In each category there will be prizes of book tokens: 1st prize, £25, second prize £15, and 3rd prize £10.  

• Winning poems will be published on posters in Medway Libraries.

• The Prize includes a certificate, a book bundle, book token and a Medway River Lit goodie bag.

• A number of commendations may be awarded at the discretion of the judging panel.

• The organisers reserve the right to not award all prizes, if entries are deemed not suitable.  
  
  If you have any questions - please email Medway River Lit. 

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