Forward Prizes for Poetry
The best new poetry published in the UK & Ireland
- Only one week until the shortlist readings & winner announcements at Forward Prizes Ceremony 2025. Don’t miss it! buff.ly/Pp7BLtv #ForwardPrizes #LondonLiteratureFestival #Poetry
- 🚨 One week to go! 🚨 Join us 25 Oct @SouthbankCentre for Next Verse: A Young Poets’ Summit Showcase. A celebration of poetry, craft + community with the UK’s most exciting young voices. 🎟️ From £10. Ages 14+.
- Meet the Poets continues! We’re now moving into our next category: the Forward Prize for Best Collection. First up is Juana Adcock, whose collection I Sugar the Bones (@outspokenldn) is shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Forward Prize. 🔗 buff.ly/ZakZSOE
- Poetry lovers, this one’s for you! ✨📚 Join us at #ContainsStrongLanguage for the Forward Prizes Showcase, where boundary-pushing poets take the stage to share work that’s bold, brilliant, and unforgettable. 🔗 Book now: buff.ly/bQ1TsRm @bbccslfest @bbcarts
- Don’t miss the Forward Prizes Showcase at #ContainsStrongLanguage — a celebration of the most vital voices in contemporary poetry. Step into an afternoon of powerful performances from poets featured in the 2025 Forward Book of Poetry. 🔗 Book now: buff.ly/bQ1TsRm
- Rounding off our Meet the Poets series for Best Single Poem – Written is Nick Makoha, shortlisted for ‘Codex©’. Fusing personal history, diaspora, and artistic legacy, this poem is a meditative reflection on identity, memory, and cultural ownership. buff.ly/gi3JNZr
- Next up in the series is Claire Lynn, shortlisted for her poem ‘Live Stream’. This poem is a quiet meditation on observation, community, and the rhythms of care—both human and wild. Read the full interview via this link: buff.ly/ZCYcNDQ
- There’s still time to join us at #ContainsStrongLanguage! 🎉📖 The event celebrates the best new poetry from the Forward Prizes 2025. Book your free tickets & see the full festival lineup here: 🔗 buff.ly/bQ1TsRm @bbcarts @bbccslfest
- Next up is Tim Tim Cheng, shortlisted for their poem ‘Girl Ghosts’, blending memory, myth, and migration. The poem is a polyvocal exploration of girlhood, cultural inheritance, and the fractured stories passed down through generations. Full interview: buff.ly/tIUjmao
- REMINDER! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! The Forward Prizes Ceremony 2025 🎉 📅 Sunday 26 October | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Southbank Centre 🎟️ Tickets on sale now: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/for... #ForwardPrizes #PoetryLive #SouthbankCentre #UKPoetry #PoetryAwards #SpokenWord
- We are proud to reannounce the exceptional shortlist for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, celebrating the finest in contemporary poetry. Congratulations once again to all the poets and publishers! 🔗 Full shortlist: buff.ly/FJ2m0TM #ForwardPrizes
- We are excited to reintroduce the powerful shortlist for the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection, honouring remarkable debut voices in poetry. 🔗 Full shortlist: buff.ly/FJ2m0TM #ForwardPrizes
- We are thrilled to share once again the outstanding shortlist for the Forward Prize for the Best Single Poem – Performed category Huge congratulations again to all! 🔗 Full shortlist: forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-priz... #ForwardPrizes
- We are delighted to reannounce the shortlist for the Forward Prize for the Best Single Poem – Written category. Congratulations to all the shortlisted poets! 🔗 Full shortlist: buff.ly/FJ2m0TM
- Next up in Best Single Poem – Written: Tom Branfoot, shortlisted for ‘A Parliament of Jets’, a powerful long-form poem exploring global conflict and ecological destruction. Read the full poem via this link: forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/a-parli...
- Meet the Poets continues – we’re now in the Best Single Poem – Written category! First up: Abeer Ameer, shortlisted for ‘at least’, a haunting meditation on violence, memory, and how we speak about loss. Read the full poem via this link: buff.ly/WpoMcE1
- As the final spotlight on poems for the summer, here are some beautiful lines from My Friends by @arundhathi.subramaniam@bloodaxebooks - and for more incredible poems, why not discover the Forward Prizes shortlist buff.ly/i67GTxe
- We’re holding a Forward Prizes Showcase at #ContainsStrongLanguage and all events are now bookable for the @bbccslfest festival in Bradford on 18-21 September. Run by @bbcarts, @wordupnorth and @bradford_2025, there are over 50 FREE events! Book now: buff.ly/bHdNUC9
- Our summer holiday poetry series continues with a few wonderful lines from Lazarus Taxa by John Burnside. Burnside, who passed away last year, left a legacy of language that continues to move and inspire, and if you're only just discovering this poet you've got a treat in store. @penguinukbooks
- Week three of our summer holiday poetry series takes us seaside again, this time with luminous lines by Emma Jeremy (@emmajanejeremy). If the rhythm of these words pulls you in like the tide, why not explore the full poem and connect with both poet and publisher. @emmajanejeremy @out_spoken_press
- There’s still time for you to join us for the Forward Prizes Showcase at #ContainsStrongLanguage! Expect bold voices, fresh perspectives, and unforgettable performances. 🎟 FREE – but booking required! Link:https://buff.ly/YYETf4w
- Next up in our Meet the Poets series is Goonie by Michael Mullen (Corsair), shortlisted for this year’s Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection. Goonie explores the balance between page and stage poetry. Read the interview here: forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversat...
- Next in our Meet The Poets series: Altar by Desree (@badbettypress), a powerful debut exploring sacrifice, identity & resilience through vivid, raw vignettes on Black British identity, queer joy, family & more. Read the full interview via this link: forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversat...
- 📚 Next up in our Meet the Poets series: Heirloom by Catherine-Esther Cowie (@carcanetpress), shortlisted for this year’s Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection. A lyrical meditation on trauma, memory & inheritance. Read the full interview: forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversat...
- Next up in our Meet the Poets series for the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection: Chaotic Good (@@faberbooks.bsky.social ) by Isabelle Baafi – a bold debut exploring ambivalence, trauma, and radical hope! Read the full interview here: forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversat...
- Meet the Poets continues! and we’re moving into our next category: Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection! First up in our series is the visionary collection, Theophanies by Sarah Ghazal Ali. Read the full interview via this link: forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversat...
- Meet the Poets continues! and we’re moving into our next category: Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection! First up in our series is the visionary collection, Theophanies by Sarah Ghazal Ali. Read the full interview via this link: buff.ly/CUsvB3R
- As summer begins, we’re sharing glimpses and lines of poems which feel perfect for the season. Week 1 features some lines from the wonderfully knowing "Hotel Petroleum" by Mark Fiddes (@fiddeswrites). Thanks to Mark and @themothmagazine. #ForwardPrizes
- We were honoured to have an extraordinary panel of judges for the 2025 Forward Prizes,who brought care, rigour, and passion to every poem. Here is award-winning poet, playwright, and performer Rommi Smith sharing what she thought of the shortlists:
- The final shortlist for the Best Single Poem – Performance category is Zoë McWhinney. Zoë's incredible work celebrates the rich expressiveness of signing, challenging traditional definitions of poetry and expanding the ways we experience it! Link: buff.ly/gXK6zun
- 📚 Forward Prizes 2025 Shortlist Bundle Offer! 🎉 We’re thrilled to partner once again with the Poetry Book Society as the official online bookseller for the 2025 Forward Prizes, and to celebrate, we’ve got a special bundle offer for you! link to order: buff.ly/PjJRwWS
- Continuing our Meet the Poets series, we shine a light on Joshua Idehen, a poet who expertly weaves language with pulse and pace. Watch the full shortlisted performance of 'The World According to Your Mum Doing the Washing’ and interview via this link: forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/the-wor...
- 🎤 Love poetry? Don’t miss the Forward Prizes Showcase at #ContainsStrongLanguage! 🗓 Sun 21 Sept | 14:15–15:30 📍 St George’s Hall, Bradford 🎟 Free entry – but booking required! Link: buff.ly/xRuLxac #ForwardPrizes #PoetryEvent
- Griot Gabriel - 'Where I’m From' (Manchester UNESCO City of Literature Slamvision). Continuing our Meet the Poets series, we turn to the raw, resonant voice of Griot Gabriel. Watch the full performance and interview via this link: forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/where-i...
- Bella Cox - 'Sikiliza' Next up in our Meet the Poets spotlight is the powerful and spellbinding Bella Cox. Watch the full performance and interview via this link: buff.ly/nWB8ncv And check out the full shortlist: buff.ly/FRbh69u
- MEET THE POETS First up for Best Single Poem Performed is the incredible Raymond Antrobus with Dynamic Disks, 1933 — a powerful exploration of language, sound & absence. 🎥 Watch an excerpt + full poem/interview: forwardartsfoundation.org/poem/dynamic... #ForwardPrizes2025
- 🚨 You've still got time! (Just) 🚨 Forward Arts - the team behind #NationalPoetryDay & the #ForwardPrizes - is looking for a new Chair + Trustees to help shape the future of poetry in the UK. 🗓️ Deadline: 21 July 🔗 Apply now: forwardartsfoundation.org/about-us/wor... #PoetryMatters #ArtsLeadership
- A huge THANK YOU to our brilliant judges — Lisa Kelly, Hannah Lavery, Sean O’Brien, Rommi Smith, and chair Sarah Hall — for their dedication and insight in selecting the #ForwardPrizes 2025 shortlist from hundreds of outstanding entries. Your passion shapes the future of poetry! 🙏✨ #ForwardPrizes
- The Forward Prize for Best Collection – We’re proud to reveal the #ForwardPrizes 2025 shortlist for Best Collection! Five powerful books from some of the most compelling voices in poetry today. 👏 Congrats to the poets & publishers! 🔗 Full list: buff.ly/SS35YlZ #PoetryAwards #BestCollection
- Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection Introducing the future of poetry ✨Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection shortlist is here! Bold new voices. Brilliant debuts! #ForwardPrizes 2025 🔗 Full list: buff.ly/SS35YlZ #JerwoodPrize #BestFirstCollection #PoetryAwards
- The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Written Announcing the #ForwardPrizes 2025 shortlist for Best Single Poem – Written! Poems that move, resonate, and demand to be read. 👏 Huge congratulations to the shortlisted poets! 🔗Full list: buff.ly/SS35YlZ
- The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Performed Live, powerful, unforgettable. 🎙️ We’re thrilled to reveal the #ForwardPrizes 2025 shortlist for Best Single Poem – Performed! Experience poetry in its most dynamic form. 🔗 Full list: buff.ly/SS35YlZ
- Want to help more people find their voice? You've got just one week left to apply for Trustee or Chair roles at Forward Arts. forwardartsfoundation.org/about-us/wor... #TrusteeOpportunity hashtag#ChairRole hashtag#BoardRecruitment hashtag#NonProfitLeadership hashtag#GovernanceMatters
- The Forward Prizes 2025 Shortlist is nearly here! We’ll be revealing this year’s outstanding poets and collections on Thursday at 10am. Bold voices. Career-defining work. Poems that stay with you. Stay tuned. #ForwardPrizes #PoetryAwards #PoetryCommunity #UKPoetry
- 🎤 ANNOUNCING: Forward Prizes Ceremony 2025 @southbankcentre.bsky.social 📅 Sun 26 Oct | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Southbank Centre 20 poets. 4 prizes. 1 unforgettable night of poetry! Tickets 🎟️: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/for... #ForwardPrizes #PoetryLive
- We’re excited to announce Jerwood Foundation's @jerwoodfoundation.bsky.social return as a sponsor of the Forward Prizes for Poetry. This year, they support the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection, celebrating new voices in poetry. #ForwardPrizes #JerwoodFoundation #PoetryMatters #DebutPoets
- It's #IndieBookshopWeek and we're so happy to be celebrating with 2x Forward Poetry Prize Shortlisted Poet Michael Pedersen! This poem is a love letter ❤️ to independent bookshops and the many ways they enrich our communities and lives! @booksaremybag.bsky.social
- We’re excited to announce that judge Sean O’Brien has co-translated a new book 'Eye of the Island' by Cape Verdean poet Corsino Fortes, with Daniel Hahn. 📅 Join the online launch: buff.ly/Zw1PFkt Published by @poetrytranslation.bsky.social as part of their World Poet Series.
- Join us at the Forward Arts Foundation as a Marketing & Development Coordinator! Drive our growth with creative strategies and elevate our educational and cultural impact. Apply by May 12, 2025. More details in this link: buff.ly/KrmbCdV
- Calling all poets! ✏️ Forward prize-winner, @marjorielotfi.bsky.social is running a course of daily 30 min workshops every morning in April. A great way to kickstart your writing practice!
