Writing for reading aloud could win you one of the big prizes in the Red Shed Poetry competition, according to this year’s judge Maria Isakova Bennett (pictured).

She vows to read every entry aloud to ‘enjoy the aural effect’, adding she wants to ‘sense that it holds my attention. That something in it remains after I’ve put the poem away.’

Of course, she won’t be reading yours if they don’t arrive by the 28th April 2018. So put pen to paper and make it work out loud. At just £3 per entry – maximum 50 lines – there are no excuses.

The competition is open to anyone aged 16 and above with a first prize of £100, £50 for the runner up and £10 for shortlisted poems. The Wakefield postcode prize is £25. More details