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Forward Prizes for Poetry

British poetry award(s)

Summary

British poetry award(s)

FieldValue
nameForward Prizes for Poetry
imageForward Prizes for Poetry Logo.png
awarded_forBest Collection (£10,000); Best First Collection (£5,000); Best Single Poem (written) (£1,000); Best Single Poem (performed) (£1,000)
sponsorForward Worldwide, Arts Council England, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The estate of Felix Dennis
date1992
locationUnited Kingdom
website

The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The prizes do this by identifying and honouring talent: collections published in the UK and Ireland over the course of the previous year are eligible, as are single poems nominated by journal editors or prize organisers. Each year, works shortlisted for the prizes – plus those highly commended by the judges – are collected in the Forward Book of Poetry.

The awards have been sponsored since their inception by the content marketing agency Bookmark, formerly Forward Worldwide. The best first collection prize is sponsored by the estate of Felix Dennis.

The Forward Prizes for Poetry celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2021. In 2023, a new category for outstanding performance of a poem was added to the list of awards.

Awards

The Forward Prizes for Poetry consist of four awards:

  • The Forward Prize for Best Collection, £10,000
  • The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection, £5,000
  • The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (written) in memory of Michael Donaghy, £1,000
  • The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (performed), £1,000

The Prizes are run by the Forward Arts Foundation, which is also responsible for National Poetry Day. The executive director of the Forward Arts Foundation is Susannah Herbert.

Previous winners

Best Collection

YearAuthorTitlePublisherRef.1992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
**Faber and Faber
Mean TimeAnvil Press Poetry
HarmChatto & Windus
Ghost TrainOxford University Presslast=Leafirst=Richarddate=3 October 2007title=O'Brien breaks poetry recordlanguage=en-GBwork=The Guardianurl=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/oct/03/forwardprizeforpoetry2007.forwardprizeforpoetryaccess-date=2023-02-10issn=0261-3077}}
Stones and FiresChatto & Windus
**Oxford University Press
Birthday LettersFaber and Faber
My Life AsleepOxford University Press
ConjurePicador
DownriverPicador
Max is MissingPicador
Breaking NewsGallery Press
**Picador
LegionFaber and Faber
SwitheringPicador
**Picador
**Faber and Faberlast=Floodfirst=Alisondate=8 October 2008title=Mick Imlah takes Forward prize after 20-year silencelanguage=en-GBwork=The Guardianurl=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/08/forward.prize.mick.imlahaccess-date=2023-02-10issn=0261-3077}}
RainFaber and Faber
Human ChainFaber and Faber
Black Cat BoneJonathan Cape
PLACECarcanet Pressauthor=Flood, Alisondate=1 October 2012title=Jorie Graham takes 2012 Forward prizeurl=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/01/forwardprizeforpoetry-poetryaccess-date=1 October 2012work=The Guardian}}
DrysalterCape Poetry
**Carcanet Press
Citizen: An American LyricPenguin Books
Measures of ExpatriationCarcanet Press
On BalanceCarcanet Press
Don't Call Us DeadChatto & Windustitle=Forward Prizes for Poetry 2018url=http://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-prizes-for-poetry/forward-prizes-for-poetry-2018/access-date=22 September 2018website=Forward Prizes for Poetryarchive-date=25 May 2018archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525062209/http://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-prizes-for-poetry/forward-prizes-for-poetry-2018/url-status=dead }}
Vertigo and GhostCape Poetry
**Carcanet Presstitle=Bird's 'The Air Year' wins Forward Poetry Prizeurl=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/10/26/158505/birds-the-air-year-wins-forward-poetry-prize/access-date=2020-11-02website=Books+Publishinglanguage=en-AU}}
Notes on the SonnetsPenned in the Marginslast=Bayleyfirst=Siandate=25 October 2021title=Kennard, Femi and Sealey win Forward Prizes for Poetryurl=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/kennard-femi-and-sealey-win-forward-prizes-poetry-1285717magazine=The Bookselleraccess-date=25 October 2021}}
All the Men I Never MarriedSeren Bookstitle=Forward Prizes for Poetry 2022 Winnersurl=https://www.nationalpoetrylibrary.org.uk/news-stories/forward-prizes-poetry-2022-winnersaccess-date=23 December 2022website=National Poetry Library}}
Jason Allen-PaisantSelf-Portrait as OthelloCarcanet Press
Victoria ChangWith My Back to the WorldCorsairdate=15 October 2024title=2024 Forward Prizes for Poetry winners announcedurl=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/10/15/260410/2024-forward-prizes-for-poetry-winners-announced/access-date=2024-10-16publisher=Books+Publishing}}
Vidyan RavinthiranAvidyāBloodaxe BooksRavinthiran and Solie were the prize's first joint winners
Karen SolieWellwaterPicador

Best First Collection

YearAuthorTitlePublisherRef.1992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
KidFaber and Faber
Nil NilFaber and Faber
Progeny of AirPeepal Tree Press
Breathe Now, BreatheEnitharmon Press
The Thing in the Gap Stone StileFaber and Faber
**Picador
**Picador
**Bloodaxe Books
InThe Rialto
**Picador
Touching the BonesThe Gallery Press
Fire StationsAnvil Press Poetry
These DaysJonathan Cape
IntimatesJonathan Cape
Countries of the BodyAark Arts
Look We Have Coming to Dover!Faber and Faber
Sunday at the Skin LaunderetteSeren Books
**Faber and Faber
BergSeren Books
SiderealPicador
81 Austerities
Dear BoyFaber and Faber
Black CountryChatto & Windus
Small HandsLiverpool University Press
WifePeepal Tree Press
Night Sky with Exit WoundsJonathan Cape
Shrines of Upper AustriaCarcanet Press
If All the World and Love Were YoungPenguin Books
RENDANGGranta
PoorPenguin Poetry
AmnionGranta
Momtaza MehriBad Diaspora PoemsJonathan Cape
Marjorie LotfiThe Wrong Person to AskBloodaxe
Isabelle BaafiChaotic GoodFaber and Faber

Best Single Poem (written)

YearAuthorTitlePublicationRef.1992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
"Black Bottom"
"Judith"
"Autumn"
"In Honour of Love"
"The Graduates"
"Envying Owen Beattie"
"Twenty-five Laments for Iraq"
"The Death of Descartes"
"The Lammas Hireling"
"She is in the Past, She has this Grace"The Shop
"The Fox in the National Museum of Wales"Poetry London
"Look We Have Coming to Dover!"Poetry Review
"Liverpool Disappears for a Billionth of a Second"The North
"Fantasia on a Theme of James Wright"Poetry Review
"Dunt"Poetry London
"Love Poem for Natalie 'Tusja' Beridze"Poetry Review
"At Roane Head"
"To a Nightingale"London Review of Books
"The Metric System"The Warwick Review
"In a Restaurant"The Bridport Prize
"The Mighty Hudson"TLS
"Joy"PN Review
"The Plenty of Nothing"PN Review
Granta
"Forty Names"PN Review
Magma
"Pages 22–29" an excerpt from The Ferguson Report: An ErasurePoetry London
"Up Late"Granta
Malika Booker"Libation"Poetry Review
Cindy Juyoung Ok"Ward of One"Poetry London
Abeer Ameer"At Least"MODRON Magazine

Best Single Poem (performed)

YearAuthorTitleRef.202320242025
Bohdan Piasecki'Almost Certainly'
Leyla Josephine'Dear John Berger'
Griot Gabriel'Where I'm From'

References

References

  1. Creamer, Ella. (30 June 2023). "Forward prizes for poetry add new award for performed poems". The Guardian.
  2. Forward Arts Foundation. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. Lea, Richard. (3 October 2007). "O'Brien breaks poetry record". The Guardian.
  4. Crown, Sarah. (6 October 2004). "Forward prize goes to Kathleen Jamie". The Guardian.
  5. Kennedy, Maev. (12 January 2015). "David Harsent wins TS Eliot prize for poetry for Fire Songs". The Guardian.
  6. Crown, Sarah. (6 October 2005). "Forward goes to David Harsent". The Guardian.
  7. Brown, Mark. (5 October 2006). "Poet puts Heaney in shade by scooping £10,000 prize". The Guardian.
  8. Flood, Alison. (8 October 2008). "Mick Imlah takes Forward prize after 20-year silence". The Guardian.
  9. Flood, Alison. (7 October 2009). "Don Paterson wins the Forward poetry prize with 'masterful' collection". The Guardian.
  10. Page, Benedicte. (6 October 2010). "Seamus Heaney wins £10k Forward poetry prize for Human Chain". The Guardian.
  11. Brown, Mark. (5 October 2011). "John Burnside finally wins Forward poetry prize". The Guardian.
  12. Flood, Alison. (1 October 2012). "Jorie Graham takes 2012 Forward prize". The Guardian.
  13. Higgins, Charlotte. (1 October 2013). "Michael Symmons Roberts wins Forward poetry prize". The Guardian.
  14. (30 September 2014). "Kei Miller wins Forward poetry prize". The Guardian.
  15. (28 September 2015). "Claudia Rankine's Citizen wins Forward poetry prize". The Guardian.
  16. (21 September 2015). "Trinidadian poet Vahni Capildeo wins 2016 Forward prize for poetry". The Guardian.
  17. Roffey, Monique. (3 May 2022). "'The pendulum has swung': Why we female Trinidadian writers are having our moment". [[The Guardian]].
  18. (30 September 2016). "Forward prize, backward reading: who grumbles if white writers win awards?". The Guardian.
  19. (21 September 2017). "Forward Prizes of Poetry 2017 Winners". Forward Arts Foundation.
  20. "Forward Prizes for Poetry 2018".
  21. Flood, Alison. (18 September 2018). "Danez Smith becomes youngest winner of Forward poetry prize". [[The Guardian]].
  22. Higgins, Charlotte. (25 October 2019). "Forward prize winner Fiona Benson: 'It's still taboo to talk about rape and women's bodies'". [[The Guardian]].
  23. Hay, Emily. (20 October 2019). "Fiona Benson wins Forward prize with Greek myth poems for #MeToo age". [[The Guardian]].
  24. "Bird's 'The Air Year' wins Forward Poetry Prize".
  25. Cain, Sian. (25 October 2020). "Forward poetry prize goes to 'audacious, erotically charged' The Air Year". [[The Guardian]].
  26. Bayley, Sian. (25 October 2021). "Kennard, Femi and Sealey win Forward Prizes for Poetry".
  27. Flood, Alison. (24 October 2021). "Luke Kennard wins Forward poetry prize for 'anarchic' response to Shakespeare". [[The Guardian]].
  28. "Forward Prizes for Poetry 2022 Winners".
  29. Shaffi, Sarah. (28 November 2022). "Kim Moore wins Forward poetry prize for 'phenomenal' poems about everyday sexism". [[The Guardian]].
  30. Poetry Book Society. "ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE FORWARD PRIZES 2023".
  31. (15 October 2024). "2024 Forward Prizes for Poetry winners announced". Books+Publishing.
  32. Loffhagen, Emma. (2025-10-26). "Forward prize names poets Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen Solie its first joint winners". [[The Guardian]].
  33. Tristram Fane Saunders. (21 September 2017). "Vietnamese refugee Ocean Vuong wins 2017 Forward Prize for Poetry". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  34. Poetry Book Society. "ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE FORWARD PRIZES 2023".
  35. Loffhagen, Emma. (2025-10-26). "Forward prize names poets Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen Solie its first joint winners". [[The Guardian]].
  36. Flood, Alison. (21 September 2017). "Husband's elegy for Jenny Diski wins Forward prize for best single poem". The Guardian.
  37. Poetry Society. "Poetry Review poem by Malika Booker wins major award at Forward Prize 2023 announcements".
  38. Knight, Lucy. (2024-10-10). "Forward poetry prize goes to Victoria Chang for collection inspired by painter Agnes Martin". The Guardian.
  39. Loffhagen, Emma. (2025-10-26). "Forward prize names poets Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen Solie its first joint winners". [[The Guardian]].
  40. "Almost Certainly by Bohdan Piasecki".
  41. "Previous Years".
  42. Loffhagen, Emma. (2025-10-26). "Forward prize names poets Vidyan Ravinthiran and Karen Solie its first joint winners". [[The Guardian]].
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