The International Welsh Poetry Competition 2026 organisers have announced the winners of their prestigious 20th contest, judged by Welsh writer Mick Evans, and the overall winner was kerry rawlinson for the poem ‘Kokanee, Spawning’.
The winners were as follows:
First place: Kokanee, Spawning – kerry rawlinson, (British Columbia, Canada)
Second place: Refugee Song – Gareth Roberts (Aberystwyth, Wales)
Third Place: Gazcue – Jose Buera (London, UK)
kerry rawlinson is the recipient of awards in the genres of poetry, flash fiction, art and photo art. An autodidact & bloody-minded optimist, she was nibbled into her current shape by a Zambian gestation & Canadian maturation. After a long career in Architectural Technology & Design whilst raising her family, she now pursues Literature & Art’s Muses around British Columbia’s beautiful Okanagan Valley.
“I chose this poem for the scale of its themes and its potency of language: assured, confident, without strain. This is a contemplation of unsolicited joy in the midst of decay and struggle, like many great poems drawing the universal from the personal. The poet is forced to confront mortality, watching their children, who have become lost in fascination and wonder, and are as yet ignorant of the implications of what is before them,” said this year’s judge, Welsh poet Mick Evans.
Competition organiser, Dave Lewis said: “Once again we had a lot of very strong poems, from all over the world, with five Welsh writers amongst our Top 20! But it’s a bittersweet moment because after many years of being the most respected poetry competition in Wales, the 2026 contest will be our last. We hope to publish a fourth anthology of winners in the autumn, and poetry fans can still find our previous three online.”
Judge, Mick Evans, also noted, “I can only express my gratitude and admiration to all poets who entered. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to spend this time in the company of such great writers.”
Winning poems and judge’s comments can be viewed on the competition website over the coming days – www.welshpoetry.co.uk
The 2026 Competition
Winners
1st Prize Kokanee, Spawning – kerry rawlinson, (British Columbia, Canada)
2nd Prize Refugee Song – Gareth Roberts (Aberystwyth, Wales)
3rd Prize Gazcue – Jose Buera (London, UK)
Highly Commended:
(in no particular order)
Rambling Between My Lover’s Mind And Mine – Kris Hicks (Cardiff, Wales)
first sleep – Mara Adamitz Scrupe (Washington DC, USA)
London Train – Paul Harrington (Cardiff, Wales)
Morocco – Rufus Mufasa (Pontypridd, Wales)
Terminal Lucidity – Jen Selk (New Brunswick, Canada)
Loved It Here – Peter Surkov (London, UK)
Hairy times – Michael W Thomas (Stourport-on-Severn, UK)
An Autobiography after John Fuller – Louise Walker (London, UK)
Girls Night Out – John Lancaster (Totnes, UK)
Death Of A Miner’s Son – Neil Gower (Lewes, UK)
On Finding Those Photos After You Left Me – Mary Gilonne (Pourrières, France)
Lawrence – Napier Marten (Salisbury, UK)
Whakahinu Plains – John Gallas (Markfield, UK)
All The Travellers – Damen O’Brien (Wynnum, Australia)
Life Materials – Faiz Ahmad (New Delhi, India)
Margam Crematorium – Phil Meredith (Neath, Wales)
Herculaneum Blue – Pam Job (Wivenhoe, Essex)