Birmingham Dogs Home is inviting entries for a poetry competition throughout August 2020 as part of its Pawsitivity campaign to raise awareness and funds to support its work caring for stray, abandoned and relinquished dogs across the West Midlands and South Staffordshire.

One of the region’s oldest and best loved animal welfare charities is celebrating everything positive about dogs and dog ownership and how their love and companionship supports and inspires us through difficult times.   

The charity would like to receive entries around the themes of dog companionship and positivity. There are two categories to enter, one for adults and one for children.  

The judging panel will comprise of Birmingham poet laureate Richard O’Brien, a member of a regional poetry society and a representative from Birmingham Dogs Home.

The first prize for each category will be a gift hamper and runners up will receive certificates and Birmingham Dogs Home merchandise including toys and mugs.  All winners will be invited for a tour of one of the centres in Solihull and Wolverhampton for celebrations and photographs.

The closing date for entries is midnight (UK time) 31st August 2020.

Please see below for full rules.

1. The children’s competition is open to anyone under the age of 18 at the time of entering.
2. The adult’s competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over at the time of entering. International entries are welcome.
3. The closing date of the competition is midnight (UK time), 31 August 2020.
4. There is no limit on the number of entries a single entrant can make. All entries will be considered anonymously by the judges.
5. Entries will not be returned, so please keep a copy.
6. Under no circumstances can alterations be made to poems once entered.
7. Online entries made via the website will receive automatic confirmation at the time of submission.
8. Telephone or email confirmation of receipt is not available.  BDH staff are unable to confirm the content of documents submitted online, so please ensure you send the correct version.
9. The competition organisers reserve the right to change the judging panel without notice.
10. The judges read all the entries; their decision is final. Neither the judges nor Birmingham Dogs Home staff will enter into any correspondence.
11. No current employee or Trustee of Birmingham Dogs Home is eligible to enter the competition.
12. All entries are judged anonymously and the poet’s name must not appear on the poem itself
13. All poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title). Entries to be on the subject of dogs and companionship.
14. Poems must be the entrant’s original work.
15. Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on a website or made public on social media, broadcast or featured among the winners in another competition before 31 March 2021.
16. Competition cost is £3 per submission
17. Prize winners will be notified by the end of September 2020 and invited for a tour at one of Birmingham Dogs Home centres.
18. All winners will be expected to provide a biography and photograph.
19. All entrants who provide a valid email address will be notified about the outcome of their entry by the end of September 2020.
20. The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, authors of the winning poems, by entering the competition, grant Birmingham Dogs Home the right in perpetuity to publish and/or broadcast their poem.