Poetry Society Member Dena Fakhro is this year’s winner of the Otley Poetry Prize. On Dena’s winning poem, ‘Elegy for a Potosí miner’, the judge – Matthew Hedley Stoppard, Otley Town Poet, said: The winner was the only poem to stay with me from the first reading. I think it’s such an elegant, arresting poem; […]

Cork poet Kathy D’Arcy has won this year’s Hippocrates Prize Health Professional category. Kathy D’Arcy is currently completing an IRC-funded Creative Writing PhD in UCC, where she teaches with the Women’s Studies department. In 2013 she received an Arts Council Literature Bursary for her poem Camino. She has worked as a doctor and youth worker […]

The winner of the first ever Candlestick Press/Cloud Appreciation Society (CAS) poetry competition is Poetry Society Member Lesley Saunders with her poem ‘Hazy, Massed, Dappled.’ Second prize is awarded to fellow Member Sarah Westcott for her poem ‘Flight.’ Both will feature in Candlestick’s forthcoming pamphlet Ten Poems about Clouds to be published in the summer. […]

Kathleen Jamie has chosen her winners of the Nature and Place Poetry Competition organised by The Rialto, with Poetry Society Member Jemma Borg coming out on top. In 2016, Jane won The Stare’s Nest’s Fledgling Award, was longlisted for the Winchester Poetry Prize, and was a finalist in Mslexia‘s poetry competition. Fellow Poetry Society Member […]

The Shortlist for the Strokestown International Prize has been announced by the judges Paddy Bushe and Maura Dooley, and features a number of Poetry Society Members: Marianne Burton for ‘Worm in Exile’, Geraldine Clarkson for ‘Ironing Veils’, Jacqueline Saphra for ‘Cherry Stones’, and Pnina Shinebourne for ‘The Life I Left’. The results will be announced […]

Liz Berry has announced her choice of winner, two runners up and seven highly commended poems in the Bristol Poetry Prize – and the top three are all Poetry Society Members. First is ‘Foal’ by Lois P. Jones (South Pasadena,USA), who has been longlisted in The Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition in the last two […]

This year’s theme of stone for the 17th Christopher Tower Poetry competition attracted over 1,000 entrants (all born between 1998 and 2001) with many schools encouraging entrants for the first time. At a lunchtime reception in Christ Church, Oxford on Wednesday 19 April, Poetry Society Member Ella Standage, from Alleyn’s School, Dulwich, London was awarded […]

Poetry Society Member Gareth Writer-Davies (Brecon) has win this year’s Prole Laureate Poetry Competition with his poem ‘Mushrooms’. Many congratulations! Gareth wins £200 and publication in Prole magazine. Runners up were: Joanne Key, with ‘The Ice Giant’; and Neil Young, with ‘Steel Work’. Joanne and Neil both win £50 and publication in Prole. The judge […]

Once again, Poetry Society Members feature strongly in this year’s Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine.  Iora Dawes from Stafford is shortlisted in the Health Profession category, while Mo Abu-Bakra (Ascot), Helen Gibson (Helensburgh), Maeve Henry (Oxford), Valerie Laws (Whitley Bay), Cheryl Moskowitz (London), and Karen Schofield (Newcastle-under-Lyme) were Commended. In the Open Category award, […]

Nearly 2,200 people were nominated in this year’s Saboteur Awards. The four most nominated works in each category made it into the shortlist, as well as a work selected by one of the editors. Voting is now open until 30 April to determine the winners. The results will be announced on 13 May. Among the […]

Poetry Society Members make up the four mentees on the Jerwood/Arvon Mentoring Programme for 2017/18: Romalyn Ante, Alice Hiller, Seraphima Kennedy, and Yvonne Reddick. Romalyn Ante Romalyn Ante grew up in Lipa, Philippines. She now lives in Wolverhampton. Her poems have been widely published in the UK, USA, and South East Asia, appearing in magazines/ejournals […]

Congratulations to Tess Jolly, winner of the Anne Born Prize 2016, selected by Rachael Boast from the members’ poems published in Poetry News during 2016. Tess Jolly’s poem ‘The House is Not a House’ was first selected by Richard Price for the spring 2016 competition on the theme of ‘Territory’. Judge Rachael Boast said: “I […]

Jane McKie and Bill Greenwell are winners of the Judge’s Prize and Editors’ Prize in the annual Magma Poetry Competition, with a number of Poetry Society Members on the lists, including Anne Berkeley – third in the Judge’s Prize, and Geraldine Clarkson, second in the Editors’ Prize. There were commendations, too, for Poetry Society Members […]

Poetry Society Members Gaia Holmes, Jane Lovell and Mary Jean Chan were first, second and third in this year’s Bare Fiction Prize, judged by Helen Mort. Helen said of the winners: “Third place went to ‘At The Castro’ by Mary Jean Chan, a poem ‘for Orlando’. I loved the way this poem’s breathless narrative is […]

Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Rosie Jackson, who has won this year’s Berkshire Music and Arts Festival Poetry Prize with her poem ‘A Charm of Gold Finch’ and, remarkably, also came second with ‘When he offers to teach her’. Rosie is the Poetry Society Stanza rep for Frome and was the Joint winner of the […]

Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Wendy Holborow, winner of this year’s Pre-Raphaelite Society Poetry Prize for her poem ‘The Noble Working Men’. First place: Wendy Holborow, ‘The Noble Working Men’ Second place: John Gallas, “Frederick Sandys Drawing Clouds” Third place: Tista Austin, ‘After Millais’ Poet-in-Residence’s commendation: John Gallas, ‘John Brett explains to his wife a […]

After receiving over 2,200 entries the prizewinners and shortlist for the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize 2017 have been announced, judged by Mary Noonan, who read each and every entry. Among the shortlisted poets are Poetry Society Members Owen Lewis, Christopher North, Jonathan Edwards, and Cahal Dallat. First Prize ‘Late Song’ by Mark Wagenaar Second […]

CONGRATULATIONS! to Fiona Sampson, recently awarded an MBE.  “I’m truly honoured, and especially grateful for this sign that literature remains of relevance to the wider community – something that I believe passionately. What an encouragement to keep on writing and working!” Fiona Sampson has been published in more than thirty languages. She has twelve books […]