The deadline is nearing for Morecambe poetry festival’s competition, which is open to poets worldwide, for poems of no more than 50 lines on any subject. The winning poets will be invited to read their poems at Morecambe poetry festival and will also be included in this year's festival anthology.

All entries will be read by the judging panel chaired by John Hegley, along with Rachel Pantechnicon, a former winner of the Glastonbury festival slam, and performance poet Francesca Beard. The deadline is 6pm 28 July. John Hegley is appearing at the festival over the weekend of 12-14 September, and other poetry top names include Michael Rosen, Henry Normal, Nigel Planer, and Luke Wright.

The first prize is £300, with a second prize of £125, and three third prizes of £25 each. Festival founder Matt Panesh said: "The competition was so popular last year and the standard of entries was really high. I'm looking forward to seeing what John and his fellow poet judges pick out as our winners."The competition is being run for the festival by the Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists collective, and you can find more details here

Tickets for the festival are available from Skiddle

Background: Write Out Loud is going to Morecambe