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The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize for poetry awarded by the T. S. Eliot Foundation. For many years it was awarded by the Eliots' Poetry Book Society (UK) for "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in honour of its founding poet, T. S. Eliot. Since its inception, the prize money was donated by Eliot's widow, Valerie Eliot and more recently it has been given by the T. S. Eliot Estate.

The T. S. Eliot Foundation took over the administration of the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2016, appointing as its new director Chris Holifield (formerly director of the Poetry Book Society), when the former Poetry Book Society charity had to be wound up, with its book club and company name taken over by book sales agency Inpress Ltd in Newcastle. Holifield retired at the end of June 2022 after 20 years in the post, and was replaced by Mike Sims. The winner now receives £25,000 and the ten shortlisted poets each receive £1,500, making it the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry competition. The Prize has been called "the most coveted award in poetry".

The shortlist for the Prize is announced in October of each year, and the 10 shortlisted poets take part in the Readings at the Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre on the evening before the announcement of the Prize. Two thousand people attended the 2011 reading.

Winners and Shortlists

1990s

2000s

2001 saw Canadian poet Anne Carson become the first woman to win the TS Eliot Prize.

2010s

2011 saw two shortlisted nominees, including 2002 winner Alice Oswald, withdraw their works as a protest against the sponsor.

2020s

List of judges

• 1993 – Peter Porter, Fleur Adcock, Edna Longley, Robert Crawford and John Lucas
• 1994 – Elaine Feinstein, Ciaran Carson, Robert Crawford, John Fuller and Candia McWilliam
• 1995 – James Fenton, Maura Dooley and Liz Lochhead
• 1996 – Andrew Motion, Helen Dunmore and Ruth Padel
• 1997 – Gillian Clarke, Sean O’Brien and Hugo Williams
• 1998 – Bernard O’Donoghue, Simon Armitage and Maura Dooley
• 1999 – Blake Morrison, Selima Hill and Jamie McKendrick
• 2000 – Paul Muldoon, Glyn Maxwell and Kathleen Jamie
• 2001 – John Burnside, Helen Dunmore and Maurice Riordan
• 2002 – Michael Longley, Fred D’Aguiar and Deryn Rees-Jones
• 2003 – David Harsent, Mimi Khalvati and George Szirtes
• 2004 – Douglas Dunn, Paul Farley and Carol Rumens
• 2005 – David Constantine, Kate Clanchy and Jane Draycott
• 2006 – Sophie Hannah, Gwyneth Lewis and Sean O'Brien
• 2007 – Sujata Bhatt, W. N. Herbert and Peter Porter
• 2008 – Lavinia Greenlaw, Tobias Hill and Andrew Motion
• 2009 – Simon Armitage, Colette Bryce and Penelope Shuttle
• 2010 – Bernardine Evaristo, Anne Stevenson and Michael Symmons Roberts
• 2011 – Gillian Clarke, Stephen Knight and Dennis O'Driscoll
• 2012 – Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Longley and David Morley
• 2013 – Imtiaz Dharker, Ian Duhig and Vicki Feaver
• 2014 – Sean Borodale, Helen Dunmore and Fiona Sampson
• 2015 – Kei Miller, Pascale Petit and Ahren Warner
• 2016 – Julia Copus, Ruth Padel and Alan Gillis
• 2017 – W. N. Herbert, James Lasdun and Helen Mort
• 2018 – Clare Pollard, Sinéad Morrissey and Daljit Nagra
• 2019 – John Burnside, Sarah Howe and Nick Makoha
• 2020 – Lavinia Greenlaw, Mona Arshi and Andrew McMillan
• 2021 – Glyn Maxwell, Caroline Bird and Zaffar Kunial
• 2022 – Jean Sprackland, Hannah Lowe and Roger Robinson
• 2023 – Paul Muldoon, Sasha Dugdale and Denise Saul
• 2024 – Mimi Khalvati, Anthony Joseph and Hannah Sullivan

See also

• List of British literary awards
• List of poetry awards
• List of literary awards
• English poetry
• English literature
• British literature
• List of years in literature
• List of years in poetry

References

1. "Rules and Conditions of Entry for the T.S. Eliot Prize" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
2. Cowdrey, Katherine (15 June 2016). "Former PBS director Holifield to run T S Eliot Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
3. Bayley, Sian (18 May 2022). "T S Eliot Prize director Holifield retires after 20 years as Sims takes on role". The Bookseller.
4. Jury, Louise (16 January 2007). "Heaney wins £10,000 TS Eliot prize". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012.
5. "The T S Eliot Prize". Retrieved 26 October 2016.
6. Cran, Rona (27 January 2011). "Report: 2011 T.S.Eliot Prize". The Literateur. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
7. ^ "1993-2015 – The T. S. Eliot Prize". tseliot.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
8. Kennedy, Maev (22 January 2002). "Canadian poet becomes first woman to win TS Eliot Prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
9. ^ Pauli, Michelle (21 January 2003). "River homage wins TS Eliot prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
10. Seaton, Matt (21 January 2004). "'It's a slow process'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
11. "Past master Paterson in poetry prize shortlist". The Guardian. 20 October 2003. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
12. ^ Ezard, John (17 January 2006). "Duffy wins TS Eliot poetry prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
13. ^ Lea, Richard (15 January 2007). "At last, Heaney takes poetry's biggest prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
14. Crown, Sarah (14 January 2008). "Sean O'Brien wins unprecedented poetry double". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
15. Crown, Sarah (1 November 2007). "First collection vies with established names for TS Eliot prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
16. Brown, Mark (12 January 2009). "Jen Hadfield wins TS Eliot prize for poetry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
17. Flood, Alison (30 October 2008). "Imlah leads TS Eliot prize shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
18. Rahim, Sameer (21 January 2010). "The Water Table by Philip Gross: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
19. Brown, Mark (18 January 2010). "Colossus of odes: Philip Gross wins TS Eliot poetry prize for The Water Table". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
20. Flood, Alison (22 October 2009). "TS Eliot prize shortlists poets 'who have dreamed and who have dared'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
21. "BBC News Today – TS Eliot Prize 2009". BBC News. 15 January 2010.
22. Higgins, Charlotte (24 January 2011). "TS Eliot prize goes to Derek Walcott for 'moving and technically flawless' work". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
23. "T.S. Eliot Prize 2010 Shortlist". Poetry Book Society. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011.
24. Irvine, Lindesay (21 October 2010). "Recovered addict's debut vies with Nobel laureates for TS Eliot prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
25. Kennedy, Maev (16 January 2012). "John Burnside wins most controversial TS Eliot prize in decades". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
26. Flood, Alison (20 October 2011). "TS Eliot prize 2011 shortlist revealed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
27. Flood, Alison (7 December 2011). "TS Eliot prize: Second poet withdraws in sponsor protest". The Guardian.
28. Flood, Alison (6 December 2011). "Alice Oswald withdraws from TS Eliot prize in protest at sponsor Aurum". The Guardian.
29. Oswald, Alice (12 December 2011). "Why I pulled out of the TS Eliot poetry prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
30. Clark, Nick (14 January 2013). "Poet Sharon Olds scoops TS Eliot Prize for 'confessional' work about her husband's affair". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
31. Higgins, Charlotte (14 January 2013). "Sharon Olds wins TS Eliot poetry prize for Stag's Leap collection on divorce". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
32. Flood, Alison (23 October 2012). "TS Eliot prize for poetry announces 'fresh, bold' shortlist". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
33. Flood, Alison (13 January 2014). "TS Eliot poetry prize goes to Sinéad Morrissey's Parallax". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
34. Runcie, Charlotte (24 October 2013). "TS Eliot Prize 2013: shortlist announced". The Daily Telegraph. London.
35. Bury, Liz (25 October 2013). "TS Eliot Prize 2013: shortlist announced". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
36. Kennedy, Maev (12 January 2015). "David Harsent wins TS Eliot prize for poetry for Fire Songs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
37. Flood, Alison (23 October 2014). "TS Eliot prize shortlist joins conflict and reconciliation in the Middle East". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
38. Brown, Mark (11 January 2016). "TS Eliot prize: poet Sarah Howe wins with 'amazing' debut". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
39. "Debut collection scoops T S Eliot Prize". Poetry Book Society. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
40. Flood, Alison (22 October 2015). "TS Eliot poetry prize shortlist stretches to Jamaica and beyond". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
41. Armitstead, Claire (16 January 2017). "2016 TS Eliot prize won by Jacob Polley's 'firecracker of a book'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
42. Thompson, Jessie (16 January 2017). "TS Eliot Prize: Jacob Polley is awarded world's most prestigious poetry prize for his collection Jackself". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
43. Flood, Alison (20 October 2016). "Forward prize winner Vahni Capildeo shortlisted for TS Eliot poetry award". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
44. Cain, Sian (15 January 2018). "TS Eliot prize goes to Ocean Vuong's 'compellingly assured' debut collection". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
45. Parmar, Sandeep (20 October 2017). "Why the TS Eliot prize shortlist hails a return to the status quo". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
46. Cain, Sian (14 January 2019). "'A star is born': TS Eliot prize goes to Hannah Sullivan's debut". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
47. Thompson, Jessie (14 January 2019). "The winner of this year's TS Eliot Prize for poetry has been announced". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
48. Flood, Alison (18 October 2018). "TS Eliot prize announces 'intensely political' shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
49. Cain, Sian (13 January 2020). "British-Trinidadian dub poet Roger Robinson wins TS Eliot prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
50. Flood, Alison (17 October 2019). "TS Eliot prize unveils shortlist of 'fearless poets'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
51. Flood, Alison (24 January 2021). "Bhanu Kapil wins TS Eliot poetry prize for 'radical' How to Wash a Heart". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
52. Flood, Alison (15 October 2020). "TS Eliot prize unveils 'unsettling, captivating' shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
53. Flood, Alison (10 January 2022). "Joelle Taylor wins TS Eliot poetry prize for 'blazing' C+nto & Othered Poems". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
54. "Taylor wins 2021 T S Eliot Prize". Books+Publishing. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
55. Knight, Lucy (14 October 2021). "TS Eliot prize unveils 'voices of the moment' in 2021 shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
56. "Winner – The T. S. Eliot Prize". tseliot.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
57. Shaffi, Sarah (16 January 2023). "Anthony Joseph wins TS Eliot prize for 'luminous' poetry collection". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
58. Shaffi, Sarah (13 October 2022). "TS Eliot prize announces a 'shapeshifting' shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
59. Creamer, Ella (15 January 2024). "Jamaican poet Jason Allen-Paisant's Self-Portrait as Othello wins TS Eliot prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
60. Creamer, Ella (2 October 2023). "Shortlisted TS Eliot prize poets speak to a disrupted world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
61. Creamer, Ella (1 October 2024). "TS Eliot prize for poetry shortlist contains 'a strong strain of elegy'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2024.

External links

• T.S. Eliot Prize website
• "The Book Club for Poetry Lovers". Poetry Book Society.

v t e T. S. Eliot
Bibliography
Early poems	"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" "Portrait of a Lady" "Preludes" "Whispers of Immortality" "Gerontion" The Waste Land The Hollow Men Ash Wednesday Ariel Poems "Journey of the Magi" "A Song for Simeon"
Later poems	Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" "Gus: The Theatre Cat" "Growltiger's Last Stand" "The Naming of Cats" Burnt Norton East Coker The Dry Salvages Little Gidding Four Quartets
Plays	Sweeney Agonistes The Rock Murder in the Cathedral The Family Reunion The Cocktail Party The Confidential Clerk The Elder Statesman
Prose	Selected Essays, 1917–1932 "Hamlet and His Problems" "Tradition and the Individual Talent" The Sacred Wood A Choice of Kipling's Verse (1941) "The Frontiers of Criticism"
Adaptations	Murder in the Cathedral (film) Assassinio nella cattedrale (opera) Murder in the Cathedral (TV play) Canticle IV: The Journey of the Magi Cats 1981 musical 1998 film 2019 film
Publishing	The Criterion Faber and Faber T. S. Eliot Prize T. S. Eliot Prize (Truman State University)
Related	Portrait of T. S. Eliot Tom & Viv (1984 play, 1994 film)
People	Eliot family Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot (first wife) Valerie Eliot (second wife) Henry Ware Eliot (father) Charlotte Champe Stearns (mother) William Greenleaf Eliot (grandfather) E. Martin Browne Emily Hale John Davy Hayward Ezra Pound Jean Jules Verdenal William Butler Yeats

• T. S. Eliot Prize
• 1993 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Awards established in 1993
• British poetry awards
• T. S. Eliot