The International Welsh Poetry Competition is an annual English language poetry award and the largest of its kind in Wales. The contest was founded in 2007 by Welsh writer, poet and photographer Dave Lewis.
It was launched on St David's Day 2007 in Clwb-Y-Bont, Pontypridd.
The competition's judges, who include Welsh poets, have included John Evans, Mike Jenkins, Eloise Williams, Sally Spedding, Kathy Miles (former Bridport Prize winner) and Mick Evans.
The organiser, Dave Lewis, has also edited and published three anthologies of all the winners: The First Five Years, Ten Years On and The Third One. In 2020 he also founded the Poetry Book Awards, which seeks to reward poets with a book length collection.
Past winners
- 2024 Gill Learner (Reading, England), Once Upon A Time
- 2023 Jenny McRobert (Winchester, England), Pegasus Rising
- 2022 Jennifer Hetherington (Fishermans Reach, Australia), Cross Words
- 2021 Estelle Price (Wilmslow, England), iii
- 2020 Sheila Aldous (Devon, England), The Debt Due
- 2019 Damen O'Brien (Queensland, Australia), The Map-Makers Tale
- 2018 Judy Durrant (Victoria, Australia), Prayer To A Jacaranda
- 2017 Rae Howells (Swansea, Wales), Airlings
- 2016 Tarquin Landseer (London, England), Blackfish
- 2015 Mick Evans (Carmarthenshire, Wales), Map Makers
- 2014 Kathy Miles (Cardigan, Wales), The Pain Game
- 2013 Josie Turner (Kent, England), Rations
- 2012 Sally Spedding (Ammanford, Wales), She wears green
- 2011 David J Costello (Wirral, England), Horseshoe Bat
- 2010 Sally Spedding (Ammanford, Wales), Litzmannstadt 1941
- 2009 John Gallas (Leicestershire, England), The origami lesson
- 2008 Emily Hinshelwood (Ammanford, Wales), Visually Speaking
- 2007 Gavin Price (Cardiff, Wales), Concrete
References
- Official website
- Bylines Cymru
- 'The First Five Years'The First Five Years
- 'Ten Years On'Ten Years On
- 'The Third One'The Third One
- Official website. Official website
- Welsh Poetry Sunday. Bylines Cymru.
- News of the Area. Australian newspaper.
- Estelle Price wins Wales Biggest Poetry Contest. Writers of Wales.
- Sheila Aldous wins Welsh Poetry Competition. Poetry Society.
- 1st Prize goes to Australian poet Damen O'Brien. The Poetry Society.
- 1st Prize goes to Australian poet Judy Durrant for her haunting poem about the film and true life events surrounding 'Wolf Creek. Literature Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- Inspired by an evening walk during a family trip to Liverpool. Literature Wales. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- Congratulations to Tarquin Landseer, Creative Writing MA Poetry and Poetics student, who has won first prize in the International Welsh Poetry Competition 2016 University of Royal Holloway Facebook page. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- Cinnamon Press article. Cinnamon Press.
- Americymru. Americymru news. 1 December May 2014.
- Book a Poet. Book A Poet.
- Excerpts from her writing career. Excerpts from her writing career.
- Write Out Loud Write Out Loud news.
- It’s no mystery who deserves writers’ prize Wales Online. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- Welsh Poetry Competition Anthology 2011 The First Five Years 2007-2011.
- Wales Online article Wales Online.
- 1st ever winner of the international Welsh Poetry Competition Official website.