DEREK SELLEN
Poems that have won First Prizes in International Competitions
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Against Cartography in O Bheal Five Words 2024
The Tailor in Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2023
The Night Bus in Poets Meet Painters 2023
'Jaunty Red Rabbit' in Poetry on the Lake Haiku Competition 2023
Layla in Anthony Cronin Award 2020
Betty Fox is Skipping in O Bheal Five Words 2020
Feeding the Labyrinth in Canterbury Festival PotY 2018
Aesop in Poetry Pulse 2017
Survivor in O Bheal Five Words 2015
Ja-Kyung Oh at the Organ in Poets Meet Politics 2014
The Siege of Canterbury: Three Voices in SaveAs 2011
Checkdigit in Canterbury Festival
Othello in Cinnamon Press competition
The Honey Bucket Man in Rhyme International
The Hair in Love Poems Competition
Black in
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The first poet to win the O'Bheal Five Words international competition three times (2015, 2020 and 2024) and to win Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year International Competition twice (2018 and 2023)
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0ther first prizes have been won in local or national competitions
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Poems have won prizes in:
Poetry on the Lake, The National Poetry Competition, Sentinel Quarterly Competition, Vole Books, Sentinel Annual, Penfro, Richmond Roger McGough Competition, Scanning the Century, SaveAs Jane Austen Competition, Canterbury Festival PotY x 2, Wirral Poetry Competition, Crewe Waltraud, Barnet Magna Carta Competition, Salopian, Poetry Kit, Edward Thomas Poetry Competition, Pen Nib, and elsewhere
Poems have been highly commended/commended, shortlisted in:
Poetry on the Lake, The Plough, Sentinel Quarterly, Poetry Kit, Cheltenham Festival, Fish Poetry, SaveAs Writers, Wirral Festival, Canterbury Festival PotY x 8, Poets Meet Politics x 2, O Bheal Five Words x 3, Wells, Barnet, Four Corners, Oxford, Sotheby’s International, Early Works, Making Waves, Norwich Writers, Frogmore x 3, Cinnamon Press Pamphlet, Woodman’s Press, Anthony Cronin, Acumen, Yaffle Press and elsewhere
A selection of my poems have been published online by Poetry Kit. Go to:
SHORT STORIES & PLAYS
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SHORT STORIES - 1st prizes
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Kent Creative Writing Award 1986
Millennium Chaucer’s Tale
The Bronze Horse
PLAYS - 1st prizes
Wirral Festival Radio Play - Paradise Lost
Channel Theatre -The Six Tyrannies
Brighton Festival - Sheridan
OTHER PRIZES
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PLAYS
Playcraft Millennium – Turning Point (2nd)
STORIES
Bristol International Short Story Award 2nd