Women Poets' Prize

The Women Poets' Prize is a British award for women poets.[1] Between 2018 and 2022 it was awarded biennially by the Rebecca Swift Foundation to three female poets.[1] As of 2024 the award is on hiatus due to funding difficulties.

Establishment

The award and foundation were established in 2018 to honor the memory of Rebecca Swift, a poet, essayist, editor, and founder of The Literary Consultancy.[2][3] The goals are to support "poetry and the empowerment of women" and a diverse group of poets.[4] It was announced at the Second Home Poetry Festival in June 2018.[1][5]

Inaugural awards in 2018

In 2018, the award accepted submissions in June and July before announcing a shortlist later in the year and the winners in October.[4] The jurors were Moniza Alvi, Fiona Sampson, and Sarah Howe.[6] In 2018, the first shortlist for the award included nine poets: Jenna Clarke, Claire Collison, Alice Hiller, Holly Hopkins, Bryony Littlefair, Anita Pati, Nina Mingya Powles, Em Strang, and Jemilea Wisdom-Baako.[6]

Ultimately, the award was given, on 31 October 2018, to Claire Collison, Anita Pati, and Nina Mingya Powles.[2] According to Bustle and The Guardian, Powles was selected for her work's "incredible originality" and Collison was selected because her work was "mesmerising, with unusual and subtle shifts," while the judges said that Pati's work was "full of linguistic and sonic quirk, with a great display of emotional intelligence."[2][3]

Each of the three winners received £1,000 and support from the Rebecca Swift Foundation and its partner organizations and two mentors, one for poetry and one to help them with their life.[1][2][6]

Later awards

The 2020 award winners were Alisha Dietzman, Natalie Linh Bolderston, and Warda Yassin.[7] The award prize money was increased to £1,500, and the 2020 jurors were Liz Berry, Malika Booker and Pascale Petit.[7]

In 2022 the award winners were Jennifer Lee Tsai, Dillon Jaxx and Prerana Kumar. The winners were announced at a one-day festival hosted by the National Centre for Writing in Norwich.[8] The award prize money was £1,000 each, and the 2022 jurors were Abi Palmer, Penelope Shuttle and Nikita Gill.[8]

The Rebecca Swift Foundation postponed the award for 2024 due to an inability to secure funding from Arts Council England.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Foundation and poetry award launches in memory of Rebecca Swift | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Dixon, Emily. "These Women Just Won A Major Award For Their Feminist Poetry & You Can See Why". Bustle. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b Kean, Danuta (31 October 2018). "Women Poets' prize reveals first three winners". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b "The Rebecca Swift Foundation's New Women Poet's Prize Opens for Submissions". Publishing Perspectives. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Women Poets' Prize announces first ever shortlist". FMcM. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "The UK's Inaugural Women Poets' Prize Shortlists Nine Writers". Publishing Perspectives. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b Anderson, Porter (17 November 2020). "The UK's Women Poets' Prize Names Its 2020 Winners". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Dillon Jaxx, Jennifer Lee Tsai and Prerana Kumar win 2022 Women Poets' Prize". The Telegraph. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  9. ^ Bayley, Sian (15 February 2024). "Rebecca Swift Foundation postpones Women Poets' Prize 2024". The Bookseller. Retrieved 30 August 2024.