Thanks for your interest in the Black in White Poetry Competition.

How it started

After the release of Charlotte's book of poems, Black in White, in November 2020 and its official launch in May 2021, we decided to run a poetry competition to give other people an opportunity to air some of their experiences of racism in their own voices. The first Black in White Poetry Competition was open for entries for about seven weeks in Summer 2021. The four judges selected three winners and 25 highly commended entries.

We announced the results on this website and on our social media channels in September 2021 and two months later launched an anthology entitled Black in White Community Collection. This comprised the 28 selected entries as well as several poems written by five guest poets and Charlotte. This collection was rebranded as Foreign Body in 2023.

We said we would run a bigger and better competition in 2022 – and we did. We extended the entry categories to two, calling not just for experiences of racism in the workplace but also in childhood. We launched the resulting book, Black in White Community Collection Volume 2,  during the UK’s Black History Month celebration in October 2022. This collection was rebranded as Here is Your Heart in 2023. New poetry anthologies are now launched every year following the competition.

Judging and prizes

Working with a panel of judges, every year we follow a rigorous judging process. The judges review all the entries anonymously. Judging involves a detailed initial sift of all the poems we receive followed by first round scoring of the poems by each of the judges individually against six criteria: beauty, power, education or entertainment; technical excellence; form and flow; choice of words and readability; overall impact; and polish and expertise.

The scores are summarised, and poems listed in order based on the total scores they received. The judges then review and discuss this allocation to ensure that we were happy with the winning and highly commended selections and that all the poems exemplify the competition’s objectives. We award three prizes per category and around 25 highly commended poems.

An annual event

The poetry competition has become an annual fixture on the Black in White calendar, so look out for the launch announcements from 21 March (World Poetry Day and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination) to mid-June.

We welcome entries from everyone, irrespective of colour or hue, and wherever in the world your experience of racism occurred. Get writing today... you could win a prize and/or have your poem published in our new book,  to help drive change.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Pay the appropriate fee by logging on to www.blackinwhiteservices.co.uk/store, and obtain your payment reference (over 18s only)

2. Send your entry via email to competition@blackinwhiteservices.co.uk

In the subject line please state "Black in White competition entry"

In the body of the email please state;

• Your name
• Your address
• Your email address
• Poem title(s)
• Category entered
• Your payment reference (For under 18s: just state your age)

Please attach your poem(s) in a single Word file. All entries are judged anonymously so please do not put any identifying features on the poems.

Competition Rules:

• Poems must be in English. 
• All poems must be the unpublished work of the person entering them into the competition.
• The given name of the entrant must be provided, even if the poem is to be published under a pen name.
• Poems should not have any indication within them to allow for the identification of the poet.
• There is no length or content restrictions - a short poem is just as likely to win as a longer one.
• Poems must be entered by email to competition@blackinwhiteservices.co.uk and the appropriate fee must be paid through PAY PAL in Pound Sterling (GB Pounds).
• Please attach all entered poems in one attachment using a standard Word file.
• Make sure you state the category you are entering for each poem.
• Entries received after the stated closing date will be discarded.
• Poems will not be accepted by post.
• We cannot accept alterations to any poems once they have been submitted.
• Poems cannot be withdrawn from the judging process once they have been entered.
• In exceptional circumstances we reserve the right to vary the prizes shown.
• Although copyright will remain with the poet, we reserve the right to publish any shortlisted poem on our website. Winning and highly commended poems will be published in a new Black in White poetry book.
• The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.