Entry Guidelines — Cobh International Poetry Competition 2026

Theme: Connection: Where Cobh Meets the World in Verse
Deadline: Sunday, 2 August 2026 at 5pm

Eligibility

The competition is open to poets of all nationalities, worldwide.
Two age categories: Adult (18 and over) and Youth (12 to 18).
Organisers, judges, and members of the Great Island Creative Arts CLG board are not eligible to enter.
Youth entrants under 18 must have parental or guardian consent to participate.

Each poet may submit a maximum of two poems.
Poems must not exceed 40 lines in length, excluding the title.
Each poem must have a title.
Poems can be written in any language, however a complete translation must be provided in English.
Poems must be the original work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
AI-generated content is not permitted, in whole or in part.
Previously published poems are accepted, provided they are free to republish and the poet holds the rights.
All entries must engage with the 2026 theme: Connection: Where Cobh Meets the World in Verse. Poems that make no meaningful connection to the theme will not be considered. Interpretation is open and creative; the theme is a starting point, not a constraint.
Entries must not contain offensive, discriminatory, or harmful content, including but not limited to material that is racist, sexist, homophobic, or incites hatred or violence.
The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any entry it deems inappropriate, without correspondence.

Send entries by email to cobhpoetrycomp@gmail.com
Include each poem as a plain text or Word document attachment.
Do not include your name anywhere on the poem itself. All submissions are anonymised before judging.
Include a short third-person biography (maximum 100 words) in the body of your email, along with your name, age category, and contact details.
Entry is free.
Entries will not be acknowledged individually. Please retain a copy of everything you submit.

All submissions are anonymised before they are passed to the judge. The judge does not know the identity of any entrant.
Poems are assessed on originality, quality of language, emotional resonance, and engagement with the theme.
The judge’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding individual entries or results.
The organising committee reserves the right to withhold a prize if, in the judge’s opinion, the standard of entries does not warrant one.

Copyright in all submitted poems remains with the poet at all times.
By entering, poets grant Great Island Creative Arts CLG the right to publish their poem in The Great Islander journal and to reproduce it for publicity purposes connected with the competition, with full attribution.
No poem will be published or reproduced commercially without the poet’s express written permission.

Personal details submitted with entries are collected solely for the purpose of administering the competition and notifying winners.
Details will not be shared with third parties and will be deleted after the competition concludes.

Entries that do not comply with these guidelines may be disqualified.
The organisers reserve the right to amend these guidelines. Any changes will be published on this website.
For queries, contact cobhpoetrycomp@gmail.com

Proudly supported by Great Island Creative Arts CLG.