The Stephen Spender Prize 2025 poetry translation competition is open for entries by the deadline of 31st July. This is an annual competition to translate into English any published poem from any language (including sign language), with a chance to win cash prizes and publication. There is an individual Youth Prize, Schools Laureate prize, Teacher Laureate Prize and the Portuguese Spotlight prize. Entrants must be UK or Irish citizens or residents, or pupils at a British School overseas.
Young people can submit their own entries for the Youth Prize (for ages 18 and under and 14 and under) for translations of published poems in any language with a short commentary. Alternatively, children and young people can submit translations through their school, as part of the Schools Laureate Prize.
The Portuguese Spotlight 2025 brings an extended booklet of suggested poems by poets from Portugal, Brazil, Goa, Angola and Mozambique, which young people of all ages are invited to translate. As with the Schools Laureate Prize, teachers can submit entries on behalf of pupils, or young people can enter themselves using the individual Spotlight submission form.
The Teacher Laureate Prize is open to all teachers at schools that have entered students for the Schools Laureate Prize or Portuguese Spotlight 2025 – for the chance to win a subscription to Modern Poetry in Translation for themselves and a poetry translation workshop for their school.
Resources and guidance
- There is an all-new Stephen Spender Prize Resources hub for 2025. Designed to guide students and teachers through every step of entering the competition, the resources feature dedicated collections of Student resources and Teaching resources offering inspiration and practical walkthroughs for everything from choosing a poem to coming up with a creative response.
- For additional guidance on how to use the resources with their students, teachers can register for the Stephen Spender Prize teacher mailing list to receive regular tips and activity ideas during the submission period. They can also find extra support throughout the competition window on our Guide for Teachers page.
How to enter
The deadline for entries to all categories is midnight (BST) on Thursday 31st July. For full entry guidelines and online submission links, see the links below for each individual prize or visit the Stephen Spender Prize website. Further guidance can be found on the Terms & Conditions and FAQ pages, or by email at prize@stephen-spender.org.
Schools Laureate Prize (KS1-5)
The Schools Laureate Prize is designed for teachers submitting entries on behalf of their students. It is open to all schools in the UK and Ireland – including homework clubs, Saturday schools, private tutor groups and home-schools – and British schools overseas.
For each student, submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with either a written commentary (max. 300 words) or any one of the commentary alternatives. There are four age categories: KS1-2 (Primary: P1-7), KS3 (Secondary: S1-3), KS4 (Secondary: S4) and KS5 (Sixth form/Further education: S5-6).
The poems your students translate can be from any language, ancient or modern. All forms and genres are welcome, including texts from rap, spoken word and slam poetry and BSL. Students can work on their entries individually or collaboratively, as long as all contributors are credited on the submission form.
Click here for links to full details, a step-by-step guide on how to prepare and enter your students for the prize and links to suggested poems and other useful resources.
Teacher Laureate Prize
If you or your colleagues have entered students for the Schools Laureate Prize or Ukrainian Spotlight, our new Teacher Laureate Prize is for you! Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. The translation should be max. 60 lines (extracts are accepted) and in written form. Please read the full Terms and Conditions and FAQs before submitting.
The poem you translate can be from any language, ancient or modern. All forms and genres are welcome, including texts from rap, spoken word and slam poetry.
Translations from sign language are welcomed. In this case, a link to a sign language video of the original poem should be submitted along with your written translation and commentary.
Click here for full details, FAQs and resources
Individual Youth Prize (Under 18)
For under 18s. The poem you translate can be from any language, ancient or modern, including British Sign Language.
Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. The translation should be no more than 60 lines (extracts are accepted) and in written form.
The prize celebrates poetry in all its forms and genres, so texts from rap, spoken word and slam poetry are very welcome. Poems should inspire you. Age categories for young people are 14-and-under, , and 18-and-under and entry is free.
Click here for full details and terms and conditions as well as lots of tips and advice on translating poetry, videos from previous winners, masterclasses on youtube and multilingual books of suggested poems.
Portuguese Spotlight (KS1-5)
The Portuguese Spotlight is a special strand of the Stephen Spender Prize, open to young people in the UK and Ireland and pupils at British Schools overseas. Entries can be submitted individually by young people (or a parent or guardian), or by teachers submitting on behalf of their students. The competition is free to enter.
Translate one or more poems from the specially curated selection in the Portuguese Spotlight Booklet, and submit either a short written commentary (max. 300 words) or any one of the commentary alternatives.
There are three categories: KS1-2 (Primary: P1-7), KS3-4 (Secondary: S1-4) and KS5 (Sixth form/Further education: S5-6).