Enter up to three poems on one document.

Any students and staff currently working on the Bournemouth Writing Prize and/or the Bournemouth Journal are ineligible to submit.

KEY DATES

Submissions close: 15th August 2026  Shortlist announced: Autumn 2026  Winners announced: Winter 2026  Anthology published: Spring 2027 

Note: Entries for the Bournemouth Writing Prize will also be considered for publication in the Bournemouth Journal.

Please make sure that you have read and understood the following:

For submissions to the Bournemouth Journal,

Eligibility: students and staff working on the Bournemouth Writing Prize and/or the Bournemouth Journal are ineligible to submit.

Formatting: Copy edit with care to ensure proper spelling and punctuation unless this is for artistic effect.

Anonymous submission: the stories/poems must be free of all personal information about the author. This includes age and address. Entries will be read and judged anonymously by the Panel.

Word count: For the poetry category, up to three poems per submission, a maximum of 30 lines each; there is no minimum length. 

Content and form: All entries should be in English but can include words or phrases from other languages. Poems may be in any form the author chooses. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive or any other unsuitable material.  Please include content warnings at the top of any works that might disturb readers due to their subject matter.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Submissions must be the original work of the author. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (including generative text or image systems) is not permitted as a primary author of submitted work.

AI tools may be ONLY  be used for copyediting:

•  The submission remains substantially the author’s own work, demonstrating clear human creative control and decision-making 
•  The work is not wholly or predominantly generated by AI 
•  Any use of AI tools is clearly declared at the point of submission 

Authors must include a brief statement outlining any use of AI in the creation of their work. Failure to disclose AI use may result in disqualification or withdrawal of the submission.

We reserve the right to reject submissions where AI use is deemed to undermine originality, authorship, or the integrity of the publication.

Bournemouth Journal – Terms and Conditions

Please read this carefully before submitting your work. By submitting, you agree to these Terms and Conditions. The Bournemouth Journal is run by Bournemouth University (“BU”).

Submissions may be considered for publication in the Bournemouth Journal and related Bournemouth University outputs.

Simultaneous submissions are permitted; however, please inform us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. In such cases, your submission will be withdrawn from consideration.

Submission deadlines (if applicable) will be published on the Bournemouth Journal website. Any submissions received after a stated deadline may not be considered.

The Bournemouth Journal is open to writers worldwide aged 16 and over (authors must be 16 or older at the time of submission).

Authors may submit multiple pieces of work.

Submissions will not be returned. Please keep a copy. No corrections or alterations can be made after submission. BU will not accept responsibility if contact details provided are incomplete or inaccurate, or for submissions that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit.

Submissions must be entirely the work of the author. Any work found to have been plagiarised will not be considered. Submissions must not infringe the rights of any other party. BU accepts no responsibility if authors fail to comply with these Terms and Conditions, and authors agree to indemnify BU against any claim by any third party arising from a breach of these Terms and Conditions.

By submitting your work, you agree to it being edited and published, in both print and digital formats, should it be selected. Authors retain worldwide copyright (including film and dramatic rights) but grant the Bournemouth Journal first publication rights. The author agrees that BU may need to modify submissions and may, at its discretion, edit, adapt, abridge or translate the work.

Submissions will be reviewed by the Bournemouth Journal editorial team. Due to the volume of submissions, individual feedback may not be provided. The editorial team’s decision is final, and no individual correspondence will be entered into regarding selection decisions.

Publication decisions are made at the discretion of the editorial team.

Authors will be contacted if their work is selected for publication.

Submissions may be withdrawn at the author’s request by contacting: bournemouthwritingprize@bournemouth.ac.uk

Bournemouth University reserves the right to use photographs and video of authors in its publicity materials.

Submission implies acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. Submissions that fail to comply may not be considered.

Bournemouth University reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions if deemed necessary.

Your personal data will be used by BU for the purposes of managing and administering submissions. Please see the Privacy Notice below for further information.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Bournemouth Journal Privacy Notice

This privacy notice is for authors submitting work to the Bournemouth Journal, run by Bournemouth University.

It explains how Bournemouth University collects, uses and shares the personal data provided in connection with submissions, and your rights in relation to such personal data.

In this Notice, “BU”, “we”, “our” and “us” refers to Bournemouth University Higher Education Corporation.

As a result of your engagement with BU, we will hold your “personal data”, i.e. information in a form that identifies you as an individual.

BU is the data controller of the information we collect and process as described in this Notice. This means we are legally responsible for safeguarding your data and ensuring it is processed lawfully under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

In particular, BU must:

•  Ensure that personal data is accurate and kept up to date 
•  Provide clear information about how your data is used 
•  Only process your data for specified purposes and share it as outlined in this Notice 
•  Keep your personal data secure 

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data from the information you provide when submitting your work. This may include your name and contact details (such as your email address).

How we use your personal data

The personal data you provide will be used by BU for the purposes of managing and administering submissions, including communicating with authors and notifying those whose work is selected for publication.

BU students involved in administering the Bournemouth Journal may have access to the personal data provided.

If your work is selected for publication, your name may be published alongside your work in print and digital formats, and may also appear on the Bournemouth Journal or Bournemouth University websites.

The basis for processing your information

We process your data as necessary for the performance of the agreement between you and BU (i.e. your submission to the Bournemouth Journal).

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights, including:

•  The right to request access to your data 
•  The right to request correction of inaccurate data 
•  The right to request deletion of your data 
•  The right to restrict processing 
•  The right to object to processing 
•  The right to data portability 

These rights are not absolute, and we may refuse requests where legal exemptions apply.

Exercising your rights

If you have any questions or concerns about how your data is processed, please contact the BU Data Protection Officer (DPO):

Email: dpo@bournemouth.ac.uk   Telephone: 01202 962472   Address: Poole House, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB

You can also visit:   https://www1.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/governance/access-information/data-protection-privacy

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Online: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/   Email: casework@ico.org.uk   Telephone: 0303 123 1113   Post:   Information Commissioner’s Office   Wycliffe House   Water Lane   Wilmslow   Cheshire   SK9 5AF