Tower Poetry Competition 2025

A massive congratulations to Hive Writer Charlie Jolley who has been commended in Tower Poetry Competition 2025!

Judged by Lemn Sissay OBE, Camille Ralphs and Dr Anna Nickerson, over 1,700 submissions were whittled down to just 13 prize winners. Dr Nickerson said:

‘This was a particularly special competition as we were marking the 25th anniversary of Tower Poetry and the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Cardinal College, later re-established as Christ Church. The theme, “Roots”, was an invitation to think about origins: the foundations of an institution, the sources of identity, the beginnings of a poem. We were looking for originality, but that originality needed to be grounded in an awareness of the rich history of English poetry. It was a pleasure to read so much accomplished new verse-writing, and we congratulate the winners.’

About the Competition
The Christopher Tower Poetry Competition has been running for over two decades, and in that time has rewarded over 120 young winners aged 16 to 18 and their poems with valuable cash prizes. Tower Poetry was founded in 2000 when a donation was made by the late Christopher Tower to stimulate an enjoyment and critical appreciation of poetry and to challenge young people to write their own poetry.

The competition is judged anonymously by two guest judges, who are different each year, and the Christopher Tower Student. Each year the theme is chosen with the intention of giving entrants free rein to interpret it as widely as they like.