Poetry

Embracing Age is thrilled to announce that our poetry competition is BACK for 2025!
This year we are inviting aspiring poets aged over 50 to explore the profound theme of "Faith in Ageing." We want to celebrate the wisdom, resilience, and spiritual depth that often
accompany the journey of growing older.

Click the button below to download the competition rules and guidelines

Poetry competition rules and guidelines

Meet the Judges

We are delighted to welcome back our judges for 2025

PAM RHODES

For more than three decades, Pam has been the familiar face of BBC Television’s ‘SONGS OF PRAISE’, presenting programmes from tiny country churches to huge outside broadcasts. She’s met a wide range of people from Pope John Paul II to Dolly Parton - but her heart is in the sensitive interviews for which she’s well-known, as she encourages those she meets to share their stories.

For many years, Pam has also been presenting 8 popular radio programmes each week for PREMIER CHRISTIAN RADIO (‘HEARTS AND HYMNS’ and ‘ALL TOGETHER NOW’) – as well as producing for PREMIER the weekly online television magazine programme, SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE, which she presents from home.

Pam will be 74 this year, yet is still working with as much enthusiasm as ever, believing that, as long as you’re able, you should live every minute of your life! She’s delighted to be asked to join the judging panel for our poetry competition. She says she’s not looking for great literary skill, but words that touch the heart, lift the spirit, inform the mind – and make us smile.

DAVE BILBROUGH

A troubadour of grace, Dave carries five decades of experience in the worship arena. Abba Father, All Hail the Lamb, I am a New Creation and Let there be Love are just some of his songs that have been sung worldwide by Christians of all denominations. Alongside his music he is in regular demand as a seminar speaker on things related to worship. As an award-winning artist, he has embraced various diverse musical styles on his journey and has a passion to see innovative expressions of creativity across the creative arts.

Says Dave, "The words in the songs that I write and listen to have always been important to me. Turns of phrase, interesting unusual observations even of the seemingly mundane can bring fresh light and introduce a new perspective and a new way of seeing things.
I’ve even at times experienced profound Holy moments of awe and wonder as I’ve stopped to reflect on images that word pictures can create.
I’m really looking forward with eager anticipation to being enlightened, entertained and refreshed in my soul as you share your feelings and recollections in poetic form."

ANDREW PRATT

Andrew was born in a small guest house within four hundred yards of the sea in Paignton in Devon.

He studied Zoology and, intending to become a Marine Biologist, achieved a MSc. While studying he started to write poetry and paint water colours. He changed direction and re-trained as a science teacher.

A further change of direction took him into the Methodist Ministry.

He began to write hymns in 1979 to help understand theology.

Since then he has written over 1500 texts. Stainer & Bell Ltd have published four of his collections.

His first publication of a poem was in a college magazine in 1972 while training as a teacher in Exeter.

His most recent publication is Words, Images and Imagination – a collection of poems, photos and watercolours.

He blogs at https://hymnsandbooksblog.uk/

Help us spread the word!

Do you know older people who might like to enter this poetry competition?
Could you put a poster up at your church or care home, or anywhere else?
Could you put a notice in a church or community newsletter?
Could you print off the competition guidelines for someone who isn't connected to the internet?
Could you share the press release with others who might spread the word?

Poster

Guidelines

Press release