With one year away from celebrating the centenary of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, the Foundation is thrilled to announce the second year of the Ashdown Forest poetry competition, now in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund.
There are two categories for professional and emerging poets to enter: Adults (over 18s) and Teens (age 13-18 yrs), and the theme this year is ‘Connections’.
The competition which first launched in 2024, saw more than 200 entries and we are hoping for an even better response this year.
Beth Morgan, Head of Engagement at Ashdown Forest, said:
“This is a particularly exciting time for the Forest. We are just one year away from celebrating the Centenary of the classic Pooh stories, which have served as a reminder of the importance of mindfulness and connection to nature. We have chosen Connections as the theme because it is a sweeping topic with scope to explore our connections to nature, to each other, and to ourselves.”
The competition is free to enter, and the closing date is midnight on Friday 15 August.
The winners will be announced on National Poetry Day, Thursday 3 October, and will be invited to a photoshoot at the Ashdown Forest Centre at Wych Cross in Sussex at the end of October.
