Entries invited for the Manchester Poetry Prize

Manchester Writing School has announced the launch of the Manchester Poetry Prize, a new literary award  with a first prize of £10,000.

Open to all poets over the age of 16, the Manchester Poetry Prize seeks to celebrate excellence in poetry. Applicants are invited to submit a portfolio of between three and five new poems which have never been published (in print or online) or broadcast before.

Submissions will be judged anonymously by a panel of industry experts including Carol Ann Duffy, Gillian Clarke and Imtiaz Dharker.

Applicants between the ages of 18 - 25 will also be entered for the Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award. The winner of this new prize will be offered a fees-only bursary to study in the Department of English at Manchester Metropolitan University (including undergraduate and postgraduate creative writing courses) or a cash prize of £2000.

Manchester Writing School runs the ambitious postgraduate creative writing program at Manchester Metropolitan University, well-known for its impressive roster of teaching authors including Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Paul Magrs and Linda Chase.

Applications close at 5pm 1st August 2008. For more information visit the Writing School website here.