To see the winners of our twenty competitions, the highly commended and read the judges’ comments, scroll down and use the links below. After twenty years of running the most respected poetry contest in Wales, we have decided to hang up our boots. The website will continue (with blog posts) and serve as an archive of the great poetry and great poets we helped discover, promote and celebrate.
We also have our four anthologies available, containing 400+ winning poems from the competition.
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Past Winners
Here is a list of our winning poets (and all previous winners/judges’ comments)
2026 – kerry rawlinson – Kokanee, Spawning
2025 – Mark Lewis – Notes from a transported convict
2024 – Gill Learner – Once upon a time
2023 – Jenny McRobert – Pegasus Rising
2022 – Jennifer Hetherington – Cross Words
2021 – Estelle Price – iii
2020 – Sheila Aldous – The Debt Due
2019 – Damen O’Brien – The Map-Makers Tale
2018 – Judy Durrant – Prayer To A Jacaranda
2017 – Rae Howells – Airlings
2016 – Tarquin Landseer – Blackfish
2015 – Mick Evans – Map makers
2014 – Kathy Miles – The Pain Game
2013 – Josie Turner – Rations
2012 – Sally Spedding – she wears green
2011 – David J Costello – Horseshoe Bat
2010 – Sally Spedding – Litzmannstadt 1941
2009 – John Gallas – the origami lesson
2008 – Emily Hinshelwood – Visually-speaking
2007 – Gavin Price – Concrete
See also our links page for details of other poetry websites in Wales and beyond.
I personally loved the third ‘The Foundling Mother’s List of Pain’, the bond between the Mother and their child even when they are apart. The 2nd is too political for me and there is ignorance from both sides, it just hurts me too much, and frustrates me. The first is a great ekphrastic poem, though a little complicated for me.
I love them all 🙂
Can I by an anthology of this year’s winning poems, if so, please provide me with an address I can write to and order one.
We have two anthologies available and will have our third at the end of 2021 🙂
https://welshpoetry.co.uk/anthologies/
Congratulations to Damen!
Where can I find the winning poems to read ?
Thanks,
John (Thomas)
On this page – just click the poem’s name 🙂
This is awesome! Loved reading.
However , I still don’t know if my poem went through or not I didn’t get any confirmation from anyone.
Some brilliant poems here. Really enjoyed reading. Keep up the good work. 🙂
It has been really interesting to read the judge’s comments. As I have not made the list of near-misses I shall keep trying!