Norfolk's unpublished poets were urged to submit entries for a creative competition as the Poetry-next-the-Sea festival returns to Wells.This year's festival will be held in the town from May 8-10, with the winners of the second open poetry competition given the chance to read their work at an Open Floor event at The Maltings.

Norfolk's unpublished poets were urged to submit entries for a creative competition as the Poetry-next-the-Sea festival returns to Wells.

This year's festival will be held in the town from May 8-10, with the winners of the second open poetry competition given the chance to read their work at an Open Floor event at The Maltings.

The contest is open to anyone living in Norfolk who has not had a pamphlet or collection of poems published. Writers whose poems have appeared in magazines or anthologies are eligible to enter.

Caroline Gilfillan, chairman of the festival committee, said: 'We are looking forward to hearing from all budding poets in the county.

'We invite the winners to read their poems at the Open Floor event, which provides an excellent showcase for local talent.'

Writers can enter up to three unpublished poems, each of 20 lines or less, with categories for adults aged over 16 and students aged 13-16. The closing date for entries is April 7.

This year's judge is Mike Bannister, chairman of Caf� Poets Halesworth and president of the Suffolk Poetry Society. His poem, A Fourth Warming, was short-listed for the Housman Society's Poetry Prize in 1992.

The Poetry-next-the-Sea event, supported by the Norfolk Community Foundation, features writers including Louis de Berni�res, Michael Symmons Roberts, Fleur Adcock, Hugo Williams, Annie Freud, Dame Gillian Beer, Helen Mort, Benjamin Morris, Ian Cartland, Andrea Porter and Dean Parkin.

A concert with a programme of music composed for the festival is also included, along with a series of poetry, voice and art workshops.

For more details visit www.poetry-next-the-sea.com