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About this program

The Stephen Spender Trust is running the Stephen Spender Prize 2026, an annual poetry-in-translation competition for young translators across the UK and Ireland, open for entries from 1 May to 31 July 2026 with Polish designated as the 2026 Spotlight language. Categories include Individual Youth (entrants aged 18 or under), Schools Laureate (teachers submit entries for pupils from primary to sixth form) and Teacher Laureate, while the adult Open category remains paused as the Trust focuses on children and young people. Entrants must submit translations into English (from any language or a Polish poem from the Spotlight booklet) accompanied by a creative response; teachers must register via the online form to enter students and access teaching resources, and monetary prize details are not specified on the competition page.