We are proud to announce the return of our Children’s Poetry Competition for young writers in partnership with BBC Radio Suffolk, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Essex, and BBC Radio Northampton – our most ambitious expansion yet.
Our Children’s Poetry Competition has quickly become one of our most cherished traditions. In its debut year, 11-year-old Anna moved audiences with her environmental poem The Mother Tree. In 2025, under the theme of Friendship and with the competition expanded to three BBC counties, seven-year-old Myles won the hearts of judges with A Friend Like Steve, a joyful celebration of companionship set in the world of Minecraft. Now, for our 20th year, the competition takes its biggest leap yet: six BBC stations, a region-wide reach, and a theme that speaks to the very heart of what anniversaries are for.
Six winners will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform their poem live on our iconic Waterfront Stage, opening Latitude on the evening of Thursday 23rd July – a moment that will mark the start of our 20th anniversary celebrations. One of these will be selected as the overall winner, who will also get a backstage tour at the festival.
The Theme
For 2026, the theme is Generations, a theme that reflects Latitude’s own 20-year journey and invites young poets to explore the relationships, stories, and the threads that connect us across time. Generations is a theme as vast as it is personal. From grandparents and grandchildren sharing stories around a kitchen table, to the passing on of traditions, languages, and memories or even imagining the world future generations will inherit, the 2026 competition invites children to think big and write from the heart.
How To Apply
To submit an entry and view the full Terms and Privacy Notice, click the link below.
Children aged 7–11 who reside in or attend a school within one of the six BBC Local Radio areas are invited to submit an original poem of no more than 200 words on the theme of Generations.
A distinguished panel drawn from the worlds of poetry, broadcasting, and the arts will review all entries. Judges include Kirsty Taylor, Latitude’s Arts Curator responsible for programming arts performances, comedy, spoken word, theatre and dance, Luke Wright, renowned East Anglian poet who has performed at Latitude every year since the festival’s beginnings, and Rob Jelly, host of BBC Upload in the East.
Key Dates
Entry Closes: Midday, Friday 24th April
Winner Notified: By Friday 29th May 2026
Winning Entries Announced: Wednesday 3rd June 2026, across all six BBC Local Radio stations
Winning Poets Perform: Thursday 23rd July 2026, opening Latitude on the Waterfront Stage
