Forward Prizes for Poetry

Jerwood Foundation’s continued support for the Forward Prizes for Poetry is recognised through the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection. One of the prizes’ four categories, it celebrates the most exciting debut poetry collection published in the UK or Ireland. The five artists shortlisted for this year’s award all feature in The Forward Book of Poetry 2027: Sophie Dumont with Sculling; Roshni Gallagher with Even the Trees; Shauna M Morgan with Ground Provisions; Catherine Redford with The Way the Water Holds Me; and Nur Turkmani with October.

The anthology, launched by Forward Arts Foundation in collaboration with Faber & Faber, continues to shape the conversation around contemporary poetry. Selected by a judging panel of poets Romalyn Ante, W. N. Herbert, Michael Mullen and Yomi Sode, chaired by author Sarah Moss, The Forward Book of Poetry 2027 celebrates the diversity and innovation of poetry today, offering readers compelling explorations of society, culture and personal experience.

The book gathers together all twenty shortlisted artists from all four categories - Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection-the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Written, and the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem – Performed—as well as 50 poets who are Highly Commended by the judges.

This year’s winners will be announced at a special ceremony at the Southbank Centre in London on 24 October.

For further information, please visit the Forward Arts Foundation.