Skip to main content

Entries now open for this year’s Janet Coats Memorial Prize for poetry

This year’s Paisley Book Festival’s theme is “The Lives We Live” and we’re on the lookout for short poems that contemplate our decision-making processes and desires, from how we interact with each other, to our relationship with nature, our physical and digital experiences and our hopes and expectations for the future, as well as celebrating the satisfaction that can be found in the now.

Janet Coats was part of the renowned thread-making family, J&P Coats. The eldest daughter of Thomas Coats and Margaret Glen, her father was one of four brothers who inherited a Paisley-based thread manufacturing company that was renamed J&P Coats in 1830. She was also the wife of publisher James Tait Black and Janet’s own literary aspirations resulted in two volumes of nature-inspired poetry, one of which was published as Verses and Rhymes, in 1899. 

Janet Coats Memorial Prize 2025

Please email your poems of up to 40 lines (either in a Word Document, MP3 or MP4 file) to jcmp@renfrewshire.gov.uk with Janet Coats Memorial Prize in the subject line. You can enter one poem only and the closing date for entries is midnight on 23rd February 2025. Entrants to the adult prize should be 18 or over. 

Our judging panel has yet to be confirmed. Shortlisted entrants will be expected to attend the Janet Coats Memorial Prize Awards Ceremony on Saturday 26th April at 10am as part of the Paisley Book Festival. Writers will be informed if they have made the shortlist by April 2025, and the winners will be announced on the morning of the award ceremony. All short-listed entries will be included in a souvenir pamphlet celebrating the Janet Coats Memorial Prize in 2025. The winner will receive a cash prize of £225, with the 4 runners up receiving cash prizes of £75 each.

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 23rd February 2025.

Email your poems of up to 40 lines to jcmp@renfrewshire.gov.uk in a Word Document, MP3 or MP4 file with ‘Janet Coats Memorial Prize’ in the subject line.  Writers retain full copyright of their work. All poems should be submitted blindly with no names or contact information on the files. The poet’s name and contact details should be included clearly in the body of the email.  

JCMP, Paisley Central Library, 22 High St, Paisley PA1 2BS

If you are over 18 and were born in Scotland or live or have lived in Scotland, you can enter the Janet Coats Memorial Prize. 

Please note: there is a separate Janet Coats Memorial Prize for under 18s open to children and young people who attend school in Renfrewshire. Details will be circulated locally via school librarians and the Libraries Team. 

1st place cash prize of £225, with 4 runners up cash prizes of £75 each.

  1. Entries received after midnighton 23rd February 2025 will not be eligible for the Janet Coats Memorial Prize.
  2. Writers may submit only one poem whether written, MP3 or MP4 file.
  3. All poems should be submitted blindly with no names or contact information on the file formats. The poet’s name should be included in the email. 
  4. Writers retain full copyright of their work and we will only publish work with the permission of each winning shortlisted writer.
  5. The competition is open to residents of Scotland over 18, those who were born in Scotland or have previously lived in Scotland 
  6. There is no entry fee, no purchase necessary and you do not need to attend any of the Paisley Book Festival events to enter this competition.
  7. Written poems submitted in Arial font at 12 point size, with single-spaced poem lines and double-spaced Stanza spacing, and must not be previously published. 

Janet Coats Memorial Prize - Young People 2025

Please email your poems of up to 40 lines to sls@renfrewshire.gov.uk with Janet Coats Memorial Prize in the subject line and include your name, school and age in the email with the poem as an attachment. You can also hand in your poem to your school librarian. You can enter one poem only and the closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday 23rd February 2025. Entrants to the young person’s prize should be secondary pupils living in or attending school in Renfrewshire.  

Our judging panel has yet to be confirmed. Shortlisted entrants will be expected to attend the Janet Coats Memorial Prize Awards Ceremony on Saturday 26th April at 10am as part of the Paisley Book Festival. Writers will be informed if they have made the shortlist by April 2025, and the winners will be announced on the morning of the award ceremony. All short-listed entries will be included in a souvenir pamphlet celebrating the Janet Coats Memorial Prize in 2025 and the winner will receive a cash prize of £50, with the 4 runners up receiving cash prizes of £25 each. A £200 donation will also be presented to their school library for the purchase of materials promoting poetry.

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 23rd February 2025.

  •  Aspiration- What do you want your life to look like when you are an adult? What is different?
  • Relationships- what does your friendship and family group look like? Is there anyone in your life you admire? How do they live their life?
  • Community- where do you live? Have you ever lived somewhere else? What do you like about it? Is it the people, the place, the environment?
  • Time- What is your favourite hobby? How do you spend your time and live your life?
  • Change- What choices have you made in your life and how have they affected you? Perhaps it’s choosing to be friends with someone or choosing to go somewhere. Are there any changes you would make now you are older?
  • Personal- What is unique about the way you live your life? Perhaps it’s a talent for football or that you are seen as a kind person?

 Email your poems of up to 40 lines to sls@renfrewshire.gov.uk as a document, photo, MP3 or MP4 file with ‘Janet Coats Memorial Prize’ in the subject line.  Writers retain full copyright of their work. All poems should be submitted blindly with no names or contact information on the files. The poet’s name, age and school (or contact details if home schooled) should be included clearly in the body of the email.  Poems can also be submitted to the school librarian. If handwritten, poem should be legible.  

Any secondary school pupil living in, or attending school, in Renfrewshire.

1st place cash prize of £50, with 4 runners up cash prizes of £25 each, plus a £200 donation to their school library for materials promoting poetry..

  1. Entries received after midnight on 23.02.25 will not be eligible for the Janet Coats Memorial Prize.
  2. Writers may submit only one poem whether written, MP3 or MP4 file.
  3. All poems should be submitted blindly with no names or contact information on the file formats. The poet’s name should be included in the email. 
  4. Writers retain full copyright of their work, and we will only publish work with the permission of each winning shortlisted writer.
  5. There is no entry fee, no purchase necessary and you do not need to attend any of the Paisley Book Festival events to enter this competition.
  6. Poem should not have been published previously.
  7. If poet is learning English as an additional language, entries may be submitted fully / partially in home language, with translation.

Please Support Us

As a charity, our services help people live healthy, happy and fulfilled lives. A donation to Renfrewshire Leisure will help us continue to provide charitable services across our communities.

Back to top