Stephen Fry, a long-term supporter of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, has lent his backing to an exciting new national poetry competition marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Called “A Poem to Rememberâ€, it is intended to honour and convey the challenges faced by current serving men and women, and their families.
“Like many, I was captivated and enthralled by the poets of the First World War when introduced to them at school. Later in life, we had collections of Wilfred Owen, Sassoon and other great poets of that war made available in our rehearsal rooms during the making of the television series Blackadder Goes Forth,†Stephen Fry said.
The winning poem will be chosen by the public and read by HRH The Duke of Cambridge at a special event at the new Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) this summer. It will also be mounted at the DNRC, with its author receiving a £2,000 cash prize.
Entries will be whittled down to a longlist of 25, before the best five are selected by a panel of shortlist judges chaired by historian and broadcaster Dan Snow and including Stephen Fry and Andy McNab. The winner will then be decided by public vote.
The competition is being officially supported by many leading poetry organisations and military charities including the Poetry Society, Poet in the City, the War Poets Association, the Wilfred Owen Association, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Help for Heroes, the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Style for Soldiers and Walking with the Wounded.
The competition is open to everyone aged 17 and over. The overall winner will receive a £2,000 cash prize, with four runners-up receiving £500. Only one entry is permitted per person. Entries are acceptable from any location.
Poems must be no longer than 25 lines. Entries can be submitted in three ways: Via the secure online form on www.poemtoremember.co.uk, emailing a Word or PDF attachment to entries@poemtoremember.co.uk or by post to: A Poem To Remember, PO Box 74616, London, SW6 9LB
Closing date is 23.59pm on 9 Apr 18.
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