As part of our Care, Create, Conserve project, we are launching our first ever poetry competition. We are looking for poems inspired by objects from our heritage collection, which showcases the history of healthcare in Wolverhampton over the past 200 years.
As well as our main category, we also have a Young Poets category for writers aged under 16. The winning 3 poems from the main category, and the winning 1 poem from the Young Poets category, will be published in our new Museum Guidebook. The winning poems will also be published as postcards, and all winners will receive a Care, Create, Conserve goodie bag.
The closing date of the competition is midnight (GMT UK time), Sunday 9 February 2025.
Find your inspiration at our exhibition
Visit the exhibition at Wolverhampton Central Library, Snow Hill, Wolverhampton, WV1 3AX. Our heritage collection is on display in the Adult Non-Fiction section on the ground floor, but we also have a couple of cabinets in the Children’s Library.
We are looking for poems which take a unique look at our objects, using them as a lens by which to explore stories and memories of health and healthcare.
Follow us at @TheRWTCharity on Facebook, Instagram and X for regular writing prompts and inspiration.
Do you run a writing group?
We are able to support local writing groups through guided tours of our exhibition, and by hosting your meeting for free of charge in Central Library. On arrangement, we can to guide your group through writing prompts inspired by our collection, to help you develop your poems for our competition.
To enquire, contact us at rwh-tr.artsandheritage@nhs.net
Guidelines
- All poems must have a title and must not exceed 30 lines in length (excluding title).
- Poems must be written in English, although words or short phrases in a different language will be allowed.
- Poems must be your original work, and AI-generated work is not allowed.
- Poems must not contain any language that is vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate.
- Poems must not have been formally published elsewhere, or have featured among the winners in another competition.
- The closing date of the competition is midnight (GMT UK time), Sunday 9 February 2025.
- There is no limit on the number of entries you can make. Fill out a separate application form for each poem.
- Poems cannot be altered once your application form has been submitted.
- All entries will be considered anonymously by the judges. The judges’ decision is final.
- Winners will be notified by the end of February 2025 and invited to a celebratory event in Spring 2025. All winners will be expected to provide a biography and photograph.
- The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, by entering the competition, you grant The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity the right in perpetuity to publish and/or broadcast your winning poem.
Meet the Judge
Professor Martin Levermore MBE, Chair of the RWT Charity and the Arts and Heritage Group, will be selecting the winning poems.
“Throughout our ‘Care, Create, Conserve’ project, we have seen Wolverhampton’s rich healthcare heritage brought to life by artists and community creatives in paintings, sculptures, and spoken word. As the judge for the RWT Charity’s very first poetry competition, I look forward to seeing how the fascinating artefacts we hold are given fresh interpretation through poetry.”
