Poetry competition at Staithes Museum 2026

Walk around a museum and you'll find thousands of objects.

A fishing hook. A pair of clogs. A sailor's compass. A child's toy. A faded photograph.

Each one has a story, but museums don't always know every part of it.

Who held it last?What was happening on the day it was used?What hopes did it carry? What arguments did it overhear? What adventures did it survive?

Sometimes history leaves us facts. Sometimes it leaves us questions.

Poetry has a wonderful way of filling the spaces between those facts. It allows us to imagine, wonder, empathise and ask "what if?" It helps us look at familiar objects with fresh eyes and discover something new—not necessarily about the object itself, but about ourselves.

This summer, we'd like to invite you to become part of the museum's story.

Choose just one object from Staithes Museum's collection and write a poem inspired by it. Your poem might tell the object's history, imagine its journey, give it a voice, or simply capture how it made you feel. It can rhyme, it can be serious, it can be funny, or it can break every rule you've ever heard about poetry.

There are two categories:

• Under 18s

• Adults

  
  

Every entry will receive a free museum postcard as a thank you for taking part.

Ten winning poets will receive a certificate, and their poems will be displayed in the museum during the Arts Festival. They will also be published on our website, blog and social media.

Perhaps most exciting of all, the winning poems—and a selection of other entries—will become part of the museum's archive. Long after this summer has ended, future visitors and researchers may discover not only the objects in our collection, but the poems they inspired. Your words will become another layer of Staithes' history.

We can't wait to see what catches your imagination.

Rules

Write a poem inspired by one object in Staithes Museum's collection.

Your poem can be funny, serious, imaginative, historical, or completely unexpected. The only rule is that it must be inspired by one specific object from the museum's collection.

You can write about:

• What the object is

• Who might have used it

• Where it has travelled

• What it has witnessed

• How it makes you feel

• A story you imagine about it

Poems can be any style:

• Rhyming poems

• Free verse

• Haiku

• Narrative poems

• Shape poems

• Limericks

• Spoken word style

  
  

Age Categories

• Children

• Adults 18+

with five winners from each.

Competition Timeline

Launch: Beginning of summer holidays

Closing date: Last week of summer holidays

Judging: First week of September

Exhibition: During the arts festival

Prizes

Every entrant receives:

• A free museum postcard

Winning entries:

• Displayed in the museum

• Featured on the museum website

• Featured on museum social media

• Included in a museum blog post

• Preserved in the museum archive as part of the museum's history

• A winner’s certificate.

Entry Form

Staithes Museum Poetry Competition Entry Form

Entrant Details

Name:

Age (if under 18):

Parent/Guardian Name (if entrant is under 18):

Email Address:

About Your Poem

Title of Poem:

Object that inspired your poem:

Date Submitted:

Permissions

Please tick:

☐ I confirm that this poem is my own original work.

☐ I give Staithes Museum permission to display my poem within the museum.

☐ I give Staithes Museum permission to publish my poem on its website and on social media.

☐ I give Staithes Museum permission to include my poem in museum publications, exhibitions, newsletters and educational materials.

☐ I understand that my poem may be preserved in the museum archive for future research and interpretation.

☐ I would like my poem to be credited using my full name.

☐ I would prefer my poem to be credited using my first name only.

Signature

Entrant Signature:

Date:

For entrants under 18:

Parent/Guardian Signature:

Date:

Competition Rules

Staithes Museum Poetry Competition Rules

1. Entry is free.

2. Poems must be inspired by one object from Staithes Museum's collection.

3. Poems must be the entrant's own original work.

4. Poems may be written in any poetic style.

5. Maximum length: 100 lines

6. Entrants may submit up to three poems.

7. Entries must not contain offensive, discriminatory or unlawful content.

8. Entries must be received by Septemebr 1st.

9. The judges' decision is final.

10. By entering, participants grant Staithes Museum a non-exclusive, perpetual licence to:

    1. Display the poem

    2. Publish the poem online and in print

    3. Include the poem in future exhibitions and educational materials

    4. Preserve the poem in the museum archive

11. Copyright remains with the author.

12. The author's name will be credited wherever reasonably possible.

13. Entrants under 18 must have permission from a parent or guardian.

14. Personal information will only be used for administering the competition and related museum activities.

Selected entries and competition records may be accessioned into the Staithes Museum archive as part of the museum's ongoing record of community engagement, creativity and local heritage. Future researchers may be able to access these materials in accordance with the museum's collections policies.