Disability Arts Cymru Competition
Wed 1 February 2017 / / Written by Tŷ Newydd

Disability Arts Cymru and Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre Poetry Competition 2017

Judge: Sian Northey
Entry cost: free

Prize: a residential course at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre during 2017*

Closing date: 30 April 2017

The competition is sponsored by Gwanwyn, a national festival held across Wales each year celebrating creativity in older age. The festival began in 2007 and is supported by Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government.

* The winner can choose any course from the 2017 programme, except for the Masterclasses and the Retreats, subject to availability.

 

Rules and essential information

You must:

  • not enter more than one poem
  • live in Wales
  • be 50 years old or older on 30/04/17
  • be a disabled person or have any long term physical and/or mental health condition(s)
  • not have published work previously – neither poetry or fiction – in any literary magazines, anthologies, pamphlets or books
  • not have previously attended a residential course at Tŷ Newydd.

Poems must be:

  • no longer than 40 lines
  • written in Welsh, English or a mixture of the two languages
  • accompanied by a completed entry form
  • your own original work, and previously unpublished
  • anonymous, and without any detail that might reveal your identity to the judge

Please note:

  • The judge will choose one winner only and the decision will be final
  • Some poems will be selected to be included in an e-publication. Copyright of all work will remain with the authors, but by entering this competition, you give permission for Disability Arts Cymru to publish your poem
  • Staff and trustees of Disability Arts Cymru and Literature Wales are ineligible to enter
  • The winner will be announced by 31 May 2017
  • The prize does not cover travel costs to and from Tŷ Newydd
  • You do not have to be a member of Disability Arts Cymru to enter, but membership is free for individuals in Wales who are disabled or who have a long-term physical and/or mental health condition/s. For more information, visit the website (dacymru.com ) or get in touch for more information.

How to enter:

  • By post: the poem should be typed or clearly written on a sheet of A4 paper. Every poem will be judged anonymously; therefore, poems shouldn’t display your name or any marks that might identify you as the author. Fill in the entry form, and include it in the envelope with your poem. If you would like a receipt for your entry, please enclose a self-addressed envelope and a stamp. We are unfortunately unable to return your work so remember to keep a copy.
  • By e-mail: send your poem as a Word file attachment to post@dacymru.com with subject line ‘Poetry Competition’. Every poem will be judged anonymously; therefore, poems shouldn’t display your name or any marks that might identify you as the author. Fill in the entry form, and include it in the email as an attachment.

 

For more information on the competition, contact Disability Arts Cymru:

denni@dacymru.com / post@dacymru.com / 029 2055 1040

 

In existence since 1982 Disability Arts Cymru (DAC) works across all arts forms and is funded by the Arts Council of Wales as the lead organisation for Disability and the Arts in Wales.

Vision: Our vision is a creative and equal Wales where disabled and Deaf people are central to the arts of our nation.

Mission statement: We believe in …. Opening up access and opportunity, celebrating diversity, nurturing embryonic and established high-calibre disabled practitioners and inspiring change throughout Wales. For more information, see www.dacymru.com

Tŷ Newydd is the national writing centre of Wales. The centre hosts an annual programme of creative writing courses and retreats for writers of all ages and abilities, both in Welsh and English. Tŷ Newydd, which is the last home of former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, is located in Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd. The centre, which opened its doors in 1990, is run by Literature Wales, the national company for the development of literature in Wales. For more information about Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre and to see the 2017 course programme, see www.tynewydd.cymru

Sian Northey writes in many genres. She is the translator of Alys Conran’s Pigeon (Parthian, 2016) into Welsh (Pijin, Parthian, 2016). Her latest book is the novel Rhyd y Gro (Gomer, 2016) and in the same year she has received a Literature Wales bursary to write a novel in poems for teenagers. Both Rhyd y Gro and her previous novel Yn y Tŷ Hwn (Gomer, 2011) was chosen for the Wales’ Literature Exchange’s Bookcase and her first volume of poetry, Trwy Ddyddiau Gwydr (Carreg Gwalch, 2013) was on the shortlist for Welsh Book of the Year. She holds workshops for both children and adults including a series of workshops at the Tŷ Newydd Writers’ Centre for Arts Disability Wales. Sian was one of the writers chosen for the Writers at Work scheme at the Hay Festival last year. Sian won the West Coast Eisteddfod Poetry Competition 2015 for poetry in English (https://americymru.net/americymru/blog/4325/west-coast-eisteddfod-poetry-competition-2015-we-have-a-winner).

You can download the entry form here: Entry Form