Forward Prizes for Poetry

18/12/2025

As the year draws to a close, we’re grateful for the poets, readers, publishers and supporters who make the Forward Prizes what they are. Thank you for believing in poetry’s power, and thank you for building the community. From all of us at Forward, wishing you a nourishing break.

12/12/2025

📣 Calling all emerging poets! 🌟
We’re excited to share a brilliant opportunity for poets looking to develop their practice and connect with community partners in Spring 2026. The Charles Causley Trust is offering four one-week residencies at Cyprus Well — the former home of Cornish poet Charles Causley — in partnership with Creative Kernow Associates, Guillemot Press, Literacy Pirates and Cornwall Climate Care. 📚✨ Residencies include accommodation, a £750 stipend and community engagement experience. The Charles Causley Trust
This is a fantastic chance to grow your work, collaborate and potentially be part of the Launceston Poetry Festival next May. 📅 Applications are open until 31 December 2025 — don’t miss out!
👉 Find out more and apply: https://causleytrust.org/emerging-poets-in-residence-programme-spring-2026/

26/10/2025

The winners of the Forward Prizes for Poetry 2025!

⭐ The Forward Prize for Best Collection 2025 (joint):
‘Avidyā’ by Vidyan Ravinthiran (published by Bloodaxe Books)
&
‘Wellwater’ by Karen Solie (published by Picador, Pan Macmillan)

⭐ The Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection 2025:
‘Chaotic Good’ by Isabelle Baafi (published by Faber)

⭐ The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Written 2025:
‘At Least’ by Abeer Ameer (published by Modron Magazine)

⭐ The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Performed 2025:
‘Where I’m From’ by Griot Gabriel by (originally performed at Manchester UNESCO City of Literature).

Congratulations & thanks to all the brilliant poets who read tonight.

Thanks to our supporters: the Jerwood Foundation, Arts Council England, the John Ellerman Foundation; Bloomberg Philanthropies, Cockayne Grants for the Arts, and a number of individual donors.

25/10/2025

We have our Choice award winners💃🏾💃🏾

Congratulations to and karen solie for poems that made us fall in love with poetry again❤️

Kudos to our judges .s

Now over to for the official prizes tomorrow.

We can’t wait!

25/10/2025

🚨We have our winners for the Young Poets Summit Choice Awards! for best first collection for best single poem for best single poem written and Karen Solie for best collection.

Shout out to our judges .s and of course to the

25/10/2025

Celebrating the with these brilliant group of poets in the room who've had a morning of masterclasses and discussions and now hosting a panel with shortlisted poets , and , and judge !

23/10/2025

👉 3 days to go! 👉

Join us for Forward Prizes Ceremony 2025 on Sunday 26 October, 7pm. Live poetry, shortlist readings and prize winner announcements in four categories: Best Collection, Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection, Best Single Poem - Written, Best Single Poem - Performed.

🎟️ Tickets from £15 + fee; concessions available. Ages 16+.

See you there!

Our ticketing database will be undergoing maintenance between 10pm on Sunday 12 October and 2pm on Monday 13 October. If there’s anything we can help with, visit our help desk.

22/10/2025

Venezuelan, London-based poet is one of the Forward Prizes’ Young Poets Summit Shadow Judges this year.

She shares what this experience has revealed to her about what she is looking for in a poem – in particular, she talks about the importance of poems that dare to put words to that which is almost too ugly, too terrifying, or vulnerable to illuminate with language.

She also shares her thoughts on why, in her view, poems must be humble, and always be willing to ask more questions than they can expect to have answers for.

22/10/2025

This .makoha poem shortlisted for the Forward Prize for the Best Single Poem -Written is as beautiful as it is disturbing. There’s an inevitability the speaker sets up from ‘as a desert bird is silent so was I’ which he keeps reinforcing with each further statement to achieve different emotions. ‘Maybe I’m only here to wait the way a mountain waits for the valley’ invites stillness or is it surrender? Whatever it is suggests an acceptance which is quickly unsettled by ‘the future waits for our lives to take place’ because surely there are more choices called into existence by the capacity of the animate…

We’re going to let this one marinate but it invites further engagement and we’ll happily engage and invite you to do the same😊

22/10/2025

Last year piloted the Summit Choice Awards- 5 young poets paid to deliberate on the official shortlist and pronounce their own winners. It was a hit with the winners, hailed as ‘the people’s prize. So we are back again this year with new judges .s . All 5 have come to us through organisations and programs doing amazing work to keep poetry vibrant and necessary across the country. Shout out to of Barbican Young Poets and

Our winners will be announced on Saturday but you get to hear our judges in conversation with Magma tonight at 7.30 , here on instagram live live. Join us.

22/10/2025

a 2025 co-curator from , shares one of her favourite poem from the Forward Prize Anthology, ‘A Sign’ by John McAuliffe, alongside her poem ‘Return’ from her debut pamphlet mango & starblush published by

22/10/2025

🚨Tonight of and some of our Shadow judges and co-curators will be in conversation about all things poetry, poets, prizes and especially our very own Summit Choice Awards and more.

Join Us here on instagram live at 7.30pm

.becker LETS GO!