Are you a budding Poet Laureate?  Would you like to try your hand with a poem about place to The John Betjeman Poetry Competition open to 11-14 year olds? The first prize is £1,000, (£500 to the winner and £500 to the English department of their school). The first prize winner, runner-up and highly commended will also each win £50 of book tokens.

Closing date for entries is Saturday 31 July. Full details of – and an entry form for - the competition can be found online here.

Alternatively, downloadable entry forms can be sent to ‘The John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition’, c/o Justin Gowers, 72 Vicars Hill, London, SE13 7JL.  The prize-winners will be announced in early September, and the category winners will be invited on the stage to read their poems  at St Pancras International station on Tuesday 5 October.