On National Poetry Day last Thursday (5 October), Nexus launched a competition for poems to be displayed on Longbenton Tyne and Wear Metro station.

The competition closes on 5 November, and poems can be submitted via the Nexus website. Although the theme of National Poetry Day was ‘Refuge’, the theme of the Nexus competition is ‘Journeys’.

Nexus will judge the entries with the help of a poet selected by The Poetry Book Society. The poems submitted by the winner and three runners-up will be displayed at the busy commuter station, which is used by more than one million passengers each year.

The winner will also receive £100 Waterstones vouchers and a free membership to The Poetry Book Society, and the runners-up with receive £50 Waterstones vouchers.

This is the third year Nexus has run the competition, which it believes is becoming a fixture of the North East and UK poetry scene.

Over recent years, Longbenton Metro station has become a hub for poetry and art. It is currently displaying short poems by professional poets. Previously, in July 2021, it displayed four poems reflecting on the pandemic, also by professional poets. These were replaced by poems on the theme of ‘Winter’ in 2021, and poems on the theme of ‘Home’ in 2022, written by previous competition winners.

Alice Mullen, manager of the Poetry Book Society said: “The Poetry Book Society is delighted that this is now established as an annual competition. It gives a platform to regional talent and shares the joy of poetry with our local community.

“The standard of the poems we have received in the past is exceptional, and I can’t wait to see what this year’s competition brings. Poetry can offer some sort of hope, connection or even joy and I would encourage all those with an interest in writing poetry to get involved.”

Huw Lewis, Nexus Customer Services Director, said: “Metro has a long history of displaying art on the network. We want to continue to give more people the opportunity to have their work displayed at Longbenton.

“Placing art and poetry in public places like train stations, where people don’t expect to see it, is a great way of introducing it to the public. We’re encouraging everyone who has ever written, or thought about writing, a poem to get involved. The competition is open to all ages and all abilities and we’re looking forward to sharing your poems with our customers.”

For full details, terms and conditions and to submit entries go to www.nexus.org.uk/poetry