Following the success of the New Beginnings project in 2021, the Spectrum project in 2022 and the Kinship project in 2023, Building Bridges seeks to continue celebrating identity and community through poetry. We want the resulting anthology – scheduled for November – to be an exploration of community and belonging, a firm but joyous collection that celebrates what unites us, resolute in the face of those who seek to divide us.

The event is open to anyone, anywhere, any age. The organizer is particularly keen to hear from those who do not feel the aspect of community/ies they’re writing about to be represented in traditional or mainstream media.

The longlist will be announced around 1st September. The shortlist will be announced around 15th September. Winners will be announced at a virtual launch (date TBC).

Poetry length: up to 100 lines or 750 words (whichever is lower), only one (must be previously unpublished) poem is alloweed per applicant.

1st prize: £200. Special mentions at the judges’ discretion.

All of the poems on the shortlist will be published in a volume, everyone included will receive a copy of the book, and will be invited to take place in an online launch event.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid. They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.