The organisers of the International Welsh Poetry Competition 2025 have announced the winners of their prestigious 19th contest, judged by Welsh writer, Mike Jenkins, and the overall winner was Mark Lewis for his poem ‘Notes from a transported convict’.
The winners were as follows:
1st Prize – Notes from a transported convict – Mark Lewis (Kilgetty, Wales)
2nd Prize – The language my grandmother spoke to the earth – Debbie Miller (Plymouth, England)
3rd Prize – What the moon wouldn’t do – Emma Williams (Ludlow, England)
Mark works freelance in the museum, heritage and art gallery sector. He previously spent nearly thirty years at Tenby Museum & Art Gallery. He has written several plays, which have been performed on the big stage, and his poetry collection, ‘ERIMOS’, has been described as a blend of timeless mythology and contemporary darkness. He lives in beautiful Pembrokeshire.
“This outstanding poem immediately drew me in, not primarily because of its almost ship-shaped stream of consciousness, but the world of the convict’s mind it creates so vividly. It is guttural and visceral, with no room for sentiment. It is intense with sounds and descriptions taking you from street to boat to strange shore, summoning the tortuous life of its subject.” Said this year’s judge, Welsh poet, Mike Jenkins.
Competition organiser Dave Lewis said: “Once again we had a lot of very strong poems, from all over the world, with six Welsh writers amongst our Top 20! We also had eight winners from England and two from Scotland, making this one of our most representative contests for the home nations in years. There is so much writing talent out there, and it’s great to be able to celebrate this each year. As well as being the biggest and most respected poetry competition in Wales, in our history we’ve had entries from at least forty countries around the globe, highlighting just how diverse and inclusive the contest is! Long may it continue to put Wales on the international writing map!”
Judge Mike Jenkins also noted, “On a hugely positive note, I must also add that this was the highest standard of any competition I’ve judged. So many really good poems. Da iawn pawb!”
Winning poems and judges’ comments can be viewed here.