What we’re looking for
The Science Museum Group (“SMG”) is looking to use poetry as a means to find new ways of thinking about our collection by inviting people to submit a poem based on a single or group of objects within our collection. A selection of finalists will be published on SMG’s website on National Poetry Day – Thursday 3 October 2024.
Objects in our collection can be found on our Collections website, or through our Random Object Generator or Never Been Seen tools.
Entry is free to all. Poems must be in English, British Sign Language or Braille. Short quotations in other languages are welcome in poems but if poems are submitted entirely in non-English, then a translation should also be submitted. We ask that translations are also by the same author.
To enter, you must submit your poem via the online form, ensuring you include a link to the object or object that inspired you, along with your contact details, by midnight on Sunday 15 September 2024. If you require an alternate method for submission, please let us know.
All poems must be the original work of the author. As this is an opportunity for people to creatively engage with our collection, we ask entrants in good faith not to submit AI-generated content.
The Selection Process
Once submissions have been received, poems will be anonymised and reviewed by a judging panel. Poets should not include their name in their poem to help with anonymisation. Unfortunately, due to the high number of submissions, no feedback can be given on entered poems, nor will there be further correspondence, and the judging panel’s decision is final.
Some other things to note
The copyright of each poem remains with the author. However, authors of the poems, by entering the competition, grant SMG the royalty-free right in perpetuity to publish and/or broadcast their poem on SMG’s website and other electrical forms (including on social media channels.) or in our Museums
Your moral right to be acknowledged as the author of the poem in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 shall apply. Yet, SMG may decide to not produce the poem in its entirety and may alter or edit your poem. If you would prefer that your poem does not remain on SMG’s record after the National Poetry Day on Thursday 3 October 2024, please email [email protected].
SMG has a zero tolerance policy on discrimination and all poems will be judged in line with SMG’s Open For All Policy.
For further information, please email [email protected].