Mother, daughter, survivor, saint

The story of St Teneu, the mother of St Kentigern, also known as St Mungo, and co-patron saint of Glasgow, is full of incidents that raise compelling themes of both historic and contemporary relevance: a victim of assault and a refugee estranged from her family who found sanctuary in a religious community and raised a child who grew to establish Glasgow Cathedral. Her son is represented in Glasgow's coat of arms by the bell, the bird, the fish and the tree. Maybe more needs to be said about his mother?

As part of the Glasgow 850 celebrations, Glasgow Life invites poets to enter the St Teneu Poetry Competition. Submit poems that are a response to the themes raised by the story of Teneu.

Submissions are invited in three language categories:

• English
• Scots
• Gaelic

A prize of  £500 will awarded to the winner in each category. 

The competition will be adjudicated by a panel of highly accomplished poets and arts producers: Magi Gibson, Morag Anderson, Mary Ford Neal, Ann MacKinnon (Scots), Rebecca Sharp (Scots)  and Peter Mackay (Gaelic).

How to enter

1.       Please submit your entries by email here: amcv@glasgowlife.org.uk with St Teneu Poetry competition in the subject title.
2.       Each poem may be up to 40 lines in length.
3.       Each entrant may submit up to three poems.
4.       The poem or poems may be submitted in the body of the email or attached as Word documents (if there is some specific formatting to be preserved, for example).
5.       Do not include any information in attachments that could identify the entrant.
6.       In your email make sure to include your name, contact details, and the category for which each poem is being entered.
7.       There is no entry fee. It is free to enter.

Rules

1.       The deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 1st June 2025.
2.       Entrants of age 18 or over resident in Scotland are eligible to submit poems.
3.       The winners will be announced at an award event at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow on Friday 18th July 2025.
4.       Simultaneous submissions are permitted but work published prior to the award ceremony on 18th July is not allowed. If your work is published prior to that date, please get in touch to withdraw it from competition.
5.       Shortlisted entrants will be notified by Sunday 6th July and will be invited to the award event on Friday 18th July.
6.       Alterations may not be made to entries once they have been submitted
7.       The copyright of each poem remains with the writer.
8.       Shortlisted entrants grant Glasgow Life the right to use their poems.
9.       Entries that are deemed to be discriminatory, deliberately offensive or actionable will be disqualified.
10.   Glasgow Life policies, terms and conditions apply.