The 2025 Doreen Micallef National Poetry Contest is Now Open for Entries 

All poets who write in Maltese are once again encouraged to submit their work to the Doreen Micallef National Poetry contest, with a deadline set for 14 July. 

Now in its seventh edition, the Contest was first launched in 2019 by the National Book Council with the aim of giving Maltese poetry a wider platform, while also celebrating worthwhile contemporary talents in the field. 

The contest is adjudicated by a new set of judges appointed each year by the National Book Council. The jury evaluates all poems anonymously according to a set of criteria which consider originality, technical excellence, form, diction and the effectiveness of the poem to achieve its implied literary goals. 

The contest awards three top prizes; the winning poem will be awarded with a cash prize of €1,000, with the second and third runners-up receiving €500 and €200 respectively. The contest winners will be announced and awarded their prize at an official ceremony during the 2025 Malta Book Festival, this year taking place between 5-9 November at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre, Ta’ Qali. 

As a single poem contest, applicants are required to submit no more than one original and previously unpublished poem in Maltese which does not exceed 36 lines in length. 

All entrants are encouraged to read the contest regulations and criteria, available on the page dedicated to the Contest on the National Book Council’s newly revamped website. 

The Doreen Micallef National Poetry Contest closes on 14 July. All poems must be sent in through the online application form found here.