Calling all Bards and Lyricists!
BREXIT TEN YEARS ON: A EUROPHILE PERSPECTIVE
A Poetry competition organised by North Yorkshire for Europe,
With the support of Leeds for Europe, Sheffield for Europe and York for Europe and the European Movement UK
It is now ten years since the Referendum initiated severance of the UK’s ties with the EU and heralded an estrangement from continental partners and allies that has yielded few if any of the advantages that Brexit’s proponents claimed it would bring. Now, polling suggests that more and more people think that Brexit was a mistake. The time for reflection is therefore ripe.
What better way to air our feelings on the subject than by summoning up the muse and putting pen to paper? We are therefore inviting local Rejoiners and other Europhiles to submit entries for a poetry competition on the theme of ‘Brexit Ten Years On’.
What subjects or themes can be considered?
Subject matter should be relevant to Brexit, the 2016 referendum, what led up to it, how events have developed subsequently, the consequences of Brexit, the political environment of Brexit and its evolution, Brexit ten years on, the future or any other aspect or angle that involves a reflexion on Brexit.
What kinds of compositions can be submitted?
Our definition of poetry is quite broad. Entries can include
· Poems in any form or style
· Song lyrics with original music
· New lyrics written to an existing song
Each composition should be no longer than 20 lines (excluding the title). For a song, the lines of any chorus will be counted once. Subsequent repeats should be indicated by Chorus and will not contribute to the line count.
Up to three entries may be submitted but you may just submit one or two. If you submit more than one, they may be the same or different types of composition.
You may submit entries composed specially for this occasion or, if you already have unpublished material that would fit the bill, you are welcome to submit that.
Entrants do not have to be members of the European Movement or one of its affiliated local/regional branches, but we’re assuming that compositions will be written from a pro-EU or pro-European stance.
NB: Compositions submitted should not have been published before in either electronic or printed form.
Is there an entry fee?
Yes, there is: £4 for the first or a single entry, £3 for further entries to a maximum of three in total, i.e. one plus up to two more. The maximum you would pay is, therefore, £10 for three entries.3
The Entry fee should be paid by bank transfer – details will be emailed afteryour entry is submitted.
Entry deadline: 11.59pm 1 October 2026.
How should entries be submitted?
Compositions should be submitted by email, please, as a PDF document attached to the same email message. If you submit more than one composition, please insert a page break between each. Compositions should be anonymised – your name or address or any other information by which you might be identified should not appear in the composition document.
The email itself should provide the following information:
· entrant’s name (or nom de plume), postal address, email address
· the title (if applicable) and first line of each composition submitted
Lyrics using an existing song should be accompanied by an indication (at the head of the composition) of which song has been used, as follows: ‘These lyrics are to be sung to the tune of ‘original song title’ by ‘singer’s/group’s name’.
Song lyrics with original music should include the score in the same document as the lyrics
The email address to which entries should be sent is poetry.competition@nyfe.org.uk
We look forward to receiving your entries! Any queries? Please email poetry.competition@nyfe.org.uk