Thank you to all who entered this year’s competition.

Apologies for the late publication of final results,
due to health issues.

Winners of the Frosted Fire First Pamphlet Award 2023

shortlist

Highly commended: Abigail Ottley (2) , Katriona Cambell , Neil Douglas

Commended: Aisling Bradley , Helen Scadding , Janice Booth , Sheila Lockhart

longlist

Bel Wallace , Charlie Kite , Charlotte Murray , Christopher M James , Clare Starling , Cos Michael , Dave Simpson , Elisha Gabb , Glenis Moore , Heather Cook , Helen Scadding , Jennie Owen , June Webster , Katherine Fox , Katriona Campbell , Lana Masterson (2) , Laurence Morris , Marie Papier (knight) , Michael Parsons , Michelle Kempson , Neil Douglas , Peter Howard, Peter Wellby (2) , Rachel Goodman , Sarah Macleod (2) , Sarah Rees , Sheila Lockhart , Sue Norton , Trish Kerrison

(2) following a name indicates a poet with two entries in that section.

All of the above were invited to choose an example of their work to be published online as text and audio in the Frosted Fire Firsts Anthology 2023

Each year, Frosted Fire Firsts offers all poets, unpublished in their own book, a chance to win an award that funds publication of their first book of poetry. The award includes a publishing contract with 25 free printed copies and 25 PDF copies, sales and marketing support, an author’s page with sample poems in wildfire words, plus an international online Zoom book launch. Winners of a Frosted Fire Firsts Pamphlet Award are invited to act as judges in the next competition.

Each year, at least two awards are made.

The judges and results of the 2022 Frosted Fire First Pamphlet competition are shown here.

Rules for Frosted Fire Firsts competition 2023

Opens 1 December
Closing date: 3 March 2023

Each prize book will be published as a pamphlet, which will contain 24 to 32 pages of poetry. Entries for the competition should be as a single file containing between 8 and 10 poems that showcase the poet’s work.

• The contest is open to poets worldwide except volunteers for Wildfire Words/Frosted Fire. The winner must not already have a pamphlet or collection published by an independent publisher, or contracted for publication before or on 3 March 2023.
• All poems must be entirely the entrant’s own work. Individual poems in an entry may have been published online, in journals or magazines, or multi-author anthologies, provided the writer retains copyright.
• Each entry should contain 8 to 10 poems of no more than 70 lines per poem including stanza breaks. Each poem should start on a new page and preferably be in 12 pt Calibri type (or similar sanserif face) Winners will be invited to submit up to 32 pages of poetry for their pamphlet.
• You may submit up to three entries, each of 8–10 poems, provided an entry fee is paid for each.
• Your entry’s title should appear on a separate first page. The title may relate to a key poem or suggest the collection’s theme if it has one. The title must also be the name of the file containing your poems.
• To maintain anonymous judging, there must be no identifying marks on any poem or title page. Your entry must not contain any poem that might be recognized by any of the judges through workshops, mentoring, or public readings. We will match your entry title to your email address after anonymous judging is complete.
• Each entry must have all the poems in one file in Word or PDF format. If possible, please set the page size to A5 format or 6 x 8 inches.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but an entry must be withdrawn in the event of it winning a prize or publication elsewhere.. Entry fees are not refundable once an entry has been received.
• Work will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
• We are unable to give feedback on individual entries or on the results of the competition — the judges’ decisions are final.
• Results will be emailed by 21 April 2023 to all who entered, and published on this website shortly afterwards.
• An Early Bard discounted entry fee of £11 per entry, or £30 for 3 entries is available until 14 February 2023. After that the entry fee will be £13 each or £33 for 3.
• Entries must be paid for, and your entry file uploaded, by the closing time of 11.59 pm on 3 March 2023.