University of Oxford - LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS MEMORIAL PRIZE

Benefit

You will win about 600 EUR (£500) for the best poem in this annual competition organised by the Department of English at the University of Oxford. The winning poem will be added to the collection of the Bodleian Library, Oxford’s principal research library. The prize is awarded once a year during the Trinity term, the summer term – but only if an entry is of a high enough standard.

Eligibility

• University: You are currently a student at the University of Oxford and are enrolled on a degree programme.
• Degree or level: Both Bachelor’s and Master’s students are welcome to take part.
• Field of study: Any topic. This is a poetry competition that is not linked to any particular course.
• Nationality: All nationalities welcome.
• Previous wins: You haven’t won this prize yet. Each person can only win once.
• Your entry: A sonnet or other poem comprising 14 to 28 lines, written in English, in a modern style and with a fixed rhyme and metre pattern. You may submit up to three poems.

How to apply

Please email your poem or poems to the English Department’s secretariat. Please do not include your name on your submission. Instead, provide a ‘motto’ – a short sentence of no more than 10 words (a quotation, song lyrics or a Latin phrase) – so that the jury can assess your work anonymously. The closing date for entries is the Monday of the first week of the Trinity term (27 April).

How realistic are your chances?

Only enrolled students at the University of Oxford are eligible to enter, and previous winners are excluded, so the field of entrants is small. It all comes down to the quality of your poem, and no prize will be awarded if none of the entries are good enough. If you’re confident with strict rhymes and metre, you’ll stand a good chance by submitting up to three poems.