Writing Armistice is the British Army’s 2018 poetry competition, sponsored by the Museum of Military Medicine.
2018 is the year of national commemoration of the Armistice in World War One. We invite poets to respond to these events, or any subject matter inspired by Armistice and to send us their resulting poems. Please remember that you can find inspiration from national and local museums nationwide, including The Museum of Military Medicine and you are encouraged to explore our resources site to start you off.
If you are a teacher planning a ‘Writing Armistice’ website, you may find the Poetry Workshop LPGIS form useful for some ideas or resources.
Prizes are to be awarded in several categories for the best single poem exploring Armistice in any way (eg, thematically, linguistically, formally).
The Judge
Roy McFarlane is the author of the poetry collection ‘Beginning With Your Last Breath’, published by Nine Arches Press. He has held the position of Birmingham Poet Laureate and Starbuck’s Writer in Residence and is widely published in journals and anthologies. His webpage is at www.roymcfarlane.com
How To Enter
The categories are:
Open Category – over 18s from anywhere in UK or overseas. Entry is free and you can make as many entries as you like.
Youth Category- 18 and under (on date of deadline) from anywhere in UK or overseas. Entry is free and you can make as many entries as you like.
Museum of Military Medicine Commendation – for the poem in either age category which best addresses aspects of military medicine and its contribution to human and animal healthcare.
Serving Soldier Prize – any entrant who is also serving in the British Army or Army Reserve is automatically eligible for a further prize category.
To enter online
Download the Writing Armistice Entry Form and send as an attachment, along with your poem(s) as attachments to armyarts@yahoo.com Poems should be attached as .docx or pdf. Please send a separate attachment for each poem if you are entering more than one. Please ensure your name and address does NOT appear on the poem as they are to be judged anonymously. Deadline is midnight on 15 Jan 2018.
To enter by post
Download the Writing Armistice Entry Form and send with your poem(s) to
Lt Col J Young,
SO1 Arts – CE Branch
HQ Regional Command
Montgomery House
Queens Avenue
ALDERSHOT
Hants
GU11 2JN
Each poem should be on a separate piece of paper. Please ensure your name and address does NOT appear on the poem as they are to be judged anonymously. Deadline is midnight on 15 Jan 2018 so postal entries will need to have a postmark of no later than Monday 15 Jan.
Prizes
Roy McFarlane, the judge, will announce the winners at a prize-giving ceremony in March 2018. The prizes awarded are generously sponsored by The Museum of Military Medicine by kind permission of the Regimental Associations of the Army Medical Services.
Open Category: £500 first prize, £300 second prize, £100 third prize plus additional commendations.
Youth Category: Book tokens to the value of £100 first prize, £50 second prize and further commendations prizes.
The Museum of Military Medicine Commendation: £100
Serving Soldier Prize: £200 first prize, £50 second prize and further commendation prizes.
The Judge
Rules
Please read these rules carefully and email armyarts@yahoo.com if you have any queries.
1. The Open competition is open to anyone aged over 18, the Youth category is open to anyone 18 and under on the date of the deadline (15 Jan 2018).
2. The Serving Soldier category is open to anyone in either age group who indicates on their entry form that they are in the British Army or the Army Reserve at the time of the deadline. By entering this category, you acknowledge that you are content for us to confirm your serving status.
3. The deadline of the competition is midnight on Monday 15 January 2018 (UK time).
4. There is no limit to the number of entries an entrant can make. Each poem should be sent as a separate document. Poems are judged anonymously and the document should not contain your name or address.
5. Entries will only be accepted with an entry form. One entry form may cover multiple entries.
6. Entries will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
7. Poems cannot be altered once they have been entered.
8. If you would like confirmation of postal entry, please include a stamped addressed entry with your entry. Online entries will receive confirmation once the entry has been logged by our administration team.
9. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel with no notice and not to award prizes if, in the judge’s opinion, such an action is justified.
11. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 60 lines in length (excluding title).
12. Poems should be inspired by / explore / address the theme of Armistice in some way.
13. Poems which touch upon military medicine or its contribution to human and animal healthcare are eligible for the Museum of Military Medicine Commendation Prize. Entrants should indicate if they wish to be considered for this although the judge may also decide to include a poem in this category at his discretion.
14. Poems in either age category are eligible for the Museum of Military Medicine Commendation.
15. Poems must be the original work of the entrant.
16. Poems must not have been published in print or online or have been prize-winners in any other competition before the 1 April 2018.
17. Entries should be typed, preferably in a simple font (such as Arial) in a minimum of type size 12pt.
18. Entries must be written in English.
19. There are no entry fees.
20. Prize-winners will be notified in February 2018 and invited to a prize-giving in March 2018. The proposed location of the prize-giving is the National Army Museum, London. Prize-winners will be offered travel expenses and U18s will be offered travel expenses for a parent/carer/teacher to accompany them.
21. The copyright of each poem entered remains with the author. Prizewinning poets, by entering the competition, grant the Arts Engagement office of the British Army the right to publish (online and in print) and to broadcast the poem.
