BRITAIN’S brightest new poetry festival has announced a major competition with a first prize of £1,000.

Winchester Poetry Festival aims to promote and foster the country’s most exciting new talent with an open, international award. The winners will be announced during this year’s festival, which runs from October 7-9.

Award-winning poet Mimi Khalvati will judge the competition. First prize will be £1,000, second prize £500, and third prize £250.

Winchester Poetry Prize aims to give serious recognition to the successful poets. As well as receiving substantial prize money, the winners will be invited to read at a special awards event at Winchester Poetry Festival on October 9.

Winning and commended poets will also see their entries published in a special anthology.

Run in partnership with Hampshire Cultural Trust, the first Winchester Poetry Festival, a bi-annual event, was launched in 2014, with ticket sales topping 1,700 on the weekend. The festival will be even bigger this year and a stellar line up is expected.

Festival chairman and poet Stephen Boyce said: “In launching the Winchester Poetry Prize, we are inviting poets from around the country, and further afield, to send in their most inspired thoughts and incendiary words.”

The competition is open to anyone aged 16 or over and may be on any subject in any form or style and no longer than 40 lines. Entry fee is £5 for the first poem and £4 for subsequent entries.

The closing date for entries is July 31. For more details, visit winchesterpoetryfestival.org.