The Togetherness Poetry Challenge
Call for entries for the 2025 TPC
Poets from around the world are invited to submit their work for the Togetherness Poetry Challenge 2025, a competition exploring the theme “Decolonising Minds and Shared Identities.” This initiative is run by Civil Society Consulting CIC, a not-for-profit organisation that supports and energises civil society organisations across the UK and beyond.
The challenge is part of CSC’s broader mission to foster connections, solidarity, and creativity. To inspire participants, CSC has produced a manual of 32 practical steps to togetherness, which poets can use as a starting point when crafting their entries.
Guidelines for the Togetherness Poetry Challenge
- Eligibility: Open to anyone aged 18 or over.
- Deadline: Friday, 26 September 2025. Submissions received after this date will not be considered.
- Theme: Decolonising Minds and Shared Identities.
- Length: Poems must not exceed 40 lines.
- Language: Submit your poem in any language of your choice. If it is not in English, please provide a translation.
- Submission: Upload your poem via the submission page or send it via email to mark@civilsocietyconsulting.co.uk (either in the body of the email or as an attachment).
- Optional Images: You may include a related image, but it must be your own work, free to use commercially, or used with permission.
- Free to Enter: While participation is free, donations are encouraged through CSC’s Local Giving page.
Benefits of the Together Poetry Challenge
The judging panel will select six winners whose poems best capture the Togetherness theme:
- One grand prize of £500
- Five prizes of £100 each
Winning poems will be published online and/or in print by the organisers on a non-exclusive, royalty-free basis (you retain copyright of your work).
Why This Challenge Matters
The Togetherness Poetry Challenge is funded in part by the National Lottery’s Bringing People Together programme and relies on volunteer support. Beyond the prizes, it offers poets the chance to engage in critical conversations about identity, unity, and shared humanity — while joining a global community of voices that value solidarity and creativity.
If you’re interested in nurturing literary communities, you might also find these resources helpful:
This is a fantastic opportunity for emerging and established poets alike. Submit your poem today and add your voice to the movement for togetherness.
