Scientific wonder in verse

Brilliant Poetry is an international competition that invites people from around the world to express scientific wonder and discovery through verse.

First prize £1000 — Second prize £500 — Third prize £250

The International Year of Quantum Science & Technology

For 2025, we welcome poems that explore the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), marking a century since the foundations of quantum mechanics. Whether inspired by entanglement, superposition, or the paradox of Schrödinger’s cat, we invite verse that captures quantum science’s strangeness, beauty, and impact on our world.

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2025 KEY DATES & PROCESS

——— 21 March 2025 ———
(World Poetry Day)

Three-month submission period opens.

——— 20 June 2025 ———

Submissions close at 23:59 BST (British Summer Time)

——— July - September 2025 ———

  1. The organising committee compiles a longlist from the entries (~30-40 poems).

  2. From this longlist, the judges select a shortlist of 10 standout poems.

  3. The judges determine the first, second and third prize winners.

——— October 2025 ———

The shortlist is announced.

——— 10 November 2025 ———
(World Science Day for Peace and Development)

The winners are announced.