Forward Prizes

After some thought, we've decided to leave X, but we're keeping the poetry flowing on Instagram! Get all the latest on the Prizes and connect with the poetry community on our Instagram: @forwardprizes – we’d love to see you there. Thank you for all your support.

🎬 Poets + film-makers: StAnza Poetry Festival wants poetry films (not readings), up to 6 mins with captions. Selected films shown at festival. Audience Choice Award: £200 🗓 Deadline: 31 Jan, 17:00 Submit: buff.ly/fUgxuXn Info: buff.ly/F8CVIXE

Congratulations to all, and thank you 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.

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).

The winners of the #ForwardPrizes 2025!

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+. buff.ly/ZPBH9LZ

Celebrate the best in UK & Ireland poetry. Join the Forward Prizes Ceremony 2025 @SouthbankCentre, 26 Oct @ 7pm. Tickets from £15: buff.ly/x9U4WXg #ForwardPrizes #Poetry

Meet the Poets continues! Next up for Best Collection: Southernmost by Leo Boix (@LeoBoix). A visionary sonnet sequence connecting Latin America, colonial history, & poetic form. Read the full interview: buff.ly/3H6XUr1 #ForwardPrizes #Poetry #Southernmost

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: buff.ly/9gWJrxL #ForwardPrizes #PoetryLive #SouthbankCentre #UKPoetry #PoetryAwards #SpokenWord