The Bridgette James Poetry Competition will open on 8 April and close noon, 8 May, 2025.
This year’s theme is Nature and You.
Contestants are invited to submit a 40-line, non-metered poem on the theme which can be broadly interpreted. You should write an eco-poem (a poem about the environment or nature), focusing on the relationship between humans and the natural world.
You are free to focus on manmade-environmental issues such as oil mining, harvesting trees for firewood, use of fossil fuels and pollution, from the first person narrative.
Submit online - BELOW/
Submit Via email- pennedinrage@outlook.com
1st Prize Paid Via Western Union - $40 USD.
Runner-Up - $10 USD, Paid Via Western Union.
Top three (3) contestants to be published in Penned in Rage Hardcover.
Terms & Conditions
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I've provided an example of a poem for the Annual Bridgette James Poetry Competition, 2025, on the theme: Nature and You.
Notes: The poem, Got it with the first hit, was published in The Lake Poetry, The Lake - contemporary poetry webzine - July24a in July 2024.
The hunting of pheasants is used as a metaphor for gun crime in urban cities in Britain.
In the last stanza the surreal bird becomes a human corpse.
Theme: Nature & You- Suggested Topics
Please read carefully.
When writing a "nature and you" poem, you can explore topics like: a personal connection to a specific natural element like a tree, river, or mountain, the emotions evoked by nature, the changing seasons, the interconnectedness of humans and the environment, the beauty of the natural world, the impact of human activity on nature, introspection and reflection while in nature, and even the concept of "wildness" within yourself; essentially, any aspect of nature that resonates with your personal experience and inspires reflection.
Specific ideas for nature and you poems could include:
A solitary walk in the woods:
Describing the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest while contemplating your own thoughts and feelings using imagery.
Watching a sunrise or sunset: like in Morning in Sango-Ota by Pamilerin Jacob.
You may use the colours and changing light to represent personal transitions or moments of hope or despair.
A rainy day by the window:
Reflecting on the calming rhythm of rain and its connection to introspection.
Do you guys have flash floods and mudslides in your countries like in Sierra Leone?
A favourite spot in nature:
A detailed description of a place that holds special meaning to you, perhaps a childhood memory.
Encountering a wild animal:
Exploring the awe and respect that can come from observing wildlife. Write about your safaris.
The changing seasons:
Using the cycle of seasons as a metaphor for personal growth or life stages.
The power of a storm:
Describing the intensity and force of nature, potentially relating it to personal challenges. Well, well, how about your legendary thunderstorms or hurricanes?
Use a river or stream figuratively:
Reflecting on the flow of time, the journey of life, and how we are part of something larger.
A garden or blooming flowers:
Using the beauty and fragility of flowers as a symbol of hope, fleeting moments, or personal growth. Why not write about your flora and fauna?
The night sky:
Contemplating the vastness of the universe and our place within it.
I expect numerous entries on the destruction of the environment, pollution, deforestation, killing of animals and birds by humans, burning trees for charcoal, oil pollution, from the first person narrative. Use I/Me/My in your poem.
How Will My Entry Proceed?
If you're submitting from outside the United Kingdom, you may be unfamiliar with the judging process. Please see below-
Step One
Bridgette James reads all entries, assigns submitter a number, creates a spreadsheet. Bridgette will check for grammatical range and accuracy, collocation, adherence to topic, run poem through plagiarism software, verify originality, et cetera.
Entries from nonsubscribers or metered poems will not proceed beyond this stage.
Step Two
Lergon Parris checks the numbers correspond to a valid entry on spreadsheet received from Bridgette James via email. Returns them.
Step Three
Bridgette selects the TEN (10) best entries and forwards them to Judge, Pamilerin. Judge reads anonymous entries, ranks them from first to tenth.
Step Four
The entries are then reread and cross checked by Lergon to ensure they match the original submissions.
Step Five
Winning entry confirmed, and Judge notified prior to LIVE event on Facebook.
Winner and Runner-up declared during live event. Awarded prize money
Top Three Contestants Will Be Published in Penned in Rage Annual Hardcover.
Winner receives $40 USD + Published in
Penned in Rage
Runner-up receives $10 USD + gets published in Penned in Rage
Contestant placed third gets published in
Penned in Rage Journal.
You could either use the container below to submit or send your entry in a word document to pennedinrage@outlook.com
No other entries will be accepted. Contestants must have subscribed to Penned in Rage/joined site to particpate.
News Nigerian Poet, Clement Abayomi, winner of last year's Bridgette James Poetry Competition, has had his poem published in the January- April 2025 edition of Penned in Rage Journal.
