Competition deadline: 31st July 2026
The International Dark Poets Prize, the flagship competition from Dark Poets Club, is now open for entries, inviting poets from around the world to submit work that explores the beauty, complexity and emotional depth found within darkness.
Now in its fifth edition, the competition has grown into an international platform for dark poetry, attracting thousands of submissions from poets across more than 45 countries. This year marks the biggest Dark Poets Prize to date, with an expanded £1,800 prize fund and cash awards for first, second and third place.
Dark Poets Club welcomes poetry that is gothic, surreal, macabre, melancholic, darkly humorous, emotionally raw, beautifully unsettling or quietly haunting. The competition is open to both emerging and established poets, with previously published work accepted.
Selected entries will also be considered for publication through the competition Shortlist and Honourable Mentions.
Prizes
First Place: £1,000
Second Place: £500
Third Place: £300
Shortlisted poets and poets awarded Honourable Mentions will also be considered for publication on Dark Poets Club.
Entry Fees
£6 for 1 poem
£10 for 3 poems
£14 for 5 poems
Key Dates
Entries close: Friday 31st July 2026
Winners announced: September 2026
The International Dark Poets Prize: Competition Guidelines
The competition is open worldwide.
Poems must be written in English.
Poems must not exceed 250 words, excluding the title.
Previously published poems are welcome.
Multiple entries are permitted.
Each poem should include a title and word count.
All entries must be submitted through the official Dark Poets Prize V submission portal.
A portion of all entry fees will be donated to mental health charity SANE.
Terms and Conditions
The International Dark Poets Prize V is open to poets worldwide aged 18 and over.
All poems must be written in English.
Each poem must not exceed 250 words, excluding the title.
Poems must include a title and word count.
Previously published poems are accepted, provided the poet retains the right to submit and republish the work.
Poets retain full copyright of their work.
By entering, poets grant Dark Poets Club permission to publish selected poems on the Dark Poets Club website, social media channels, newsletters, digital publications, results materials and related competition communications, with full credit given to the author.
Multiple entries are permitted.
Entries must be submitted through the official online submission form before 11.59pm BST on Friday 31st July 2026.
Entries received after the closing date may not be considered.
Poems must be the original work of the entrant.
Poems generated using artificial intelligence are not permitted.
The judges’ decision is final.
No correspondence regarding judging decisions will be entered into.
Winners will be notified by email and announced publicly in September 2026.
Prize money will be paid in GBP or local currency equivalent where required.
Dark Poets Club reserves the right to withhold or amend prizes if entrants are found to have breached the competition terms.
Dark Poets Club reserves the right to make reasonable amendments to the competition schedule or terms where necessary.
A portion of all entry fees will be donated to mental health charity SANE.
About Dark Poets Club
Founded in 2020, Dark Poets Club is an international creative platform dedicated exclusively to dark poetry.
Created to give darker poetic voices a space to be recognised, celebrated and shared, Dark Poets Club has grown into a global community of poets, writers and readers across more than 45 countries.
Through competitions, publication opportunities and community engagement, Dark Poets Club champions work that explores the shadows of human experience, from grief, love, loss and memory to gothic, surreal, macabre and darkly humorous themes.
Its mission is to provide a platform for poetry that finds meaning, beauty and power within darkness.
Full competition details and the submission portal can be found at: https://www.darkpoets.club/darkpoetsprizev
And see here for more competitions on Writing.ie.
