Candlestick Press – 'Instead of a card' poetry pamphlets | UK based independent publisher

Candlestick Press

Competitions

Poetry competition

Christmas Competition 2026

With Christmas 2025 not too distant a memory, we’re (already!) looking for new poems to feature in our festive pamphlet for 2026. Our new title Christmas Party will be published in September 2026 and will contain poems about all kinds of Christmas gatherings and what they mean to us.

Be inspired by festive fancy dress, reunions with dear friends, singing carols around the piano or recipes for mulled wine and one eggnog too many. We’re hoping for a rich variety of party-themed poems!

Timeline

Submissions close midnight GMT on Saturday 14th February 2026.

Poems

Your poem should be no longer than 35 lines, including title and stanza breaks. It must also be new, unpublished, and not currently submitted elsewhere. It must be written in English.

Entries

In order to enter, simply purchase a pamphlet from our website (£6.95 plus postage). Purchases made during the competition entry period 1st January 2026 – 14th February 2026 will qualify for entry. Each purchase entitles you to enter two poems.

You might want to buy one of our recent Christmas titles to see the sort of poems we’re looking for.

Email your poems as separate Word Docs or PDF files to christmasparty@candlestickpress.co.uk with each poem’s title and your own name as the file names. Please also include your PayPal transaction number, your name, address and a contact telephone number.

There is no limit to how many entries you can make, but each entry of two poems must be accompanied by a PayPal transaction number as proof of purchase.

Prizes

In addition to publication, each winner will receive £100 and 10 copies of Christmas Party. No entrant may win more than one prize. Winners retain all rights to their poems.

Judges

Entries will be judged by the Candlestick editorial team (Di Slaney and Kathy Towers). The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The winner will be notified by email by 16th March 2026 and announced via social media by 20th April 2026.

Good luck! We look forward to reading your entries.

A printable version of these competition details can be downloaded here.

Download details

 
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