2026 Ashdown Forest poetry competition launches with ‘Friendship’ theme
celebrating Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th Anniversary
We are excited to launch our annual poetry competition with entrants asked to write on the theme of ‘Friendship,’ inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh and in celebration of the 100th anniversary of A.A. Milne’s iconic character. Ashdown Forest was the setting for many of Milne’s classic Pooh stories and is home to the ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ and ‘Pooh Sticks Bridge.’
The competition, organised in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund (RLF), has added an additional category for 2026 with younger children now able to participate. The categories are Primary (6 -11 years), Secondary (11-17 years) and Adult (18+). The competition is free to enter via the Ashdown Forest website with entries closing on Friday 8th May 2026.
Click here for more information and to enter.
This year’s judges include multi-award-winning children’s author, poet and former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho OBE; Jane Riordan, author of the authorised Winnie-the-Pooh stories inspired by A.A. Milne’s classics; broadcaster Gyles Brandreth (pictured), life-long Winnie-the-Pooh fan and author of Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: The Remarkable Life of A.A. Milne and the Legacy of Winnie the Pooh; author, educator and Ashdown Forest Foundation International Ambassador, Kathryn Aalto, and Fiona Sampson, leading poet, literary biographer and RLF Trustee.
The winners and runners-up for each category will be announced on Monday 8th June 2026, with the winners invited to meet the judges at a special event in Ashdown Forest on Tuesday 7th July 2026.
