2026 Ashdown Forest poetry competition launches celebrating Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th Anniversary

THE Ashdown Forest Foundation has launched its annual poetry competition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh

Entrants are invited to write on the theme of ‘Friendship,’ inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh and in celebration of the anniversary of A.A. Milne’s iconic character.

Ashdown Forest was the setting for many of Milne’s classic Pooh stories and is home to the ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ and ‘Pooh Sticks Bridge.’

The competition - organised in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund - has added an additional category for 2026 with younger children now able to participate.

The categories are Primary (6 -11 years), Secondary (11-17 years) and Adult (18+).

The competition is free to enter and Friday 8 May is the closing date.

Mark Pearson, Chief Executive Officer at Ashdown Forest, said: "We are thrilled to partner again with the Royal Literary Fund and The Ashdown Forest Foundation on this third annual poetry competition.

"This year focuses on friendship – a theme inspired by the centenary of the first Winnie-the-Pooh stories, which were themselves inspired by the heaths and woodlands of Ashdown Forest, home of the original ‘Hundred Acre Wood’.

"We would like to welcome and thank the remarkable panel of judges who we expect will have a tough job selecting this year’s winners."

This year's judges include:

• Multi-award-winning children’s author, poet and former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho OBE
• Jane Riordan, author of the authorised Winnie-the-Pooh stories inspired by A.A. Milne’s classics
•  Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, life-long Winnie-the-Pooh fan and author of Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: The Remarkable Life of A.A. Milne and the Legacy of Winnie the Pooh 
• Author, educator and Ashdown Forest Foundation Trustee, Kathryn Aalto
• and Fiona Sampson, leading poet, literary biographer and RLF Trustee.

RLF Chief Executive, Edward Kemp said: "We are delighted to welcome Gyles Brandreth, Joseph Coelho and Jane Riordan, along with our trustee Fiona Sampson, as judges for this year’s Ashdown Poetry Competition, in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund.

"This year carries special significance as we celebrate the enduring legacy of A. A Milne. His extraordinary generosity continues to shape the lives of writers today: over the past fifty years, his estate alone has enabled the RLF to distribute more than £29 million in hardship grants, education and outreach programmes."

Niamh Mahoney, Ashdown Forest Visitor Experience and Volunteer Development Manager, said: "It has been a pleasure to work on this competition since its inception, and to have seen the growing number of entrants each year who have shared their literary talent and passion for Ashdown Forest. 

"This year we are excited to open up the competition to a younger age group for this special year of celebrations of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends."

The winners and runners-up for each category will be announced on Monday 8 June 2026, with the winners invited to meet the judges at a special event in Ashdown Forest on Tuesday 7 July 2026.

To enter, go to Poetry competition 2026 | The Conservators of Ashdown Forest