Winners

To see the winners of our twenty competitions, the highly commended and read the judges’ comments, scroll down, and use the links below. After twenty years of running the most respected poetry contest in Wales, we have decided to hang up our boots. The website will continue (with blog posts), and as an archive of the great poetry and great poets we helped discover, promote and celebrate.

We also have available, our four anthologies. With almost 400 winning poems from the competition.

Please also sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date.


Here is a list of our winning poets (and poems)  

2026 – kerry rawlinson – Kokanee, Spawning

2025 – Mark Lewis – Notes from a transported convict

2024 – Gill Learner – Once upon a time

2023 – Jenny McRobert – Pegasus Rising

2022 – Jennifer Hetherington – Cross Words

2021 – Estelle Price iii

2020 – Sheila Aldous – The Debt Due

2019 – Damen O’Brien The Map-Makers Tale

2018 – Judy Durrant – Prayer To A Jacaranda

2017 – Rae Howells – Airlings

2016 – Tarquin Landseer – Blackfish

2015 – Mick Evans Map makers

2014 – Kathy MilesThe Pain Game

2013 – Josie Turner – Rations

2012 – Sally Spedding – she wears green

2011 – David J Costello – Horseshoe Bat

2010 – Sally SpeddingLitzmannstadt 1941 

2009 – John Gallas – the origami lesson

2008 – Emily Hinshelwood – Visually-speaking

2007 – Gavin Price – Concrete


Scratching The Surface, poetry by Dave Lewis


Past Winners


To see lists of previous winners and read some of the winning poems, plus the judges’ comments, use the links below:

The 2026 Competition

The 2025 Competition

The 2024 Competition

The 2023 Competition

The 2022 Competition

The 2021 Competition

The 2020 Competition

The 2019 Competition

The 2018 Competition

The 2017 Competition

The 2016 Competition

The 2015 Competition

The 2014 Competition

The 2013 Competition

The 2012 Competition

The 2011 Competition

The 2010 Competition

The 2009 Competition

The 2008 Competition

The 2007 Competition


See also our links page for details of other poetry web sites in Wales and beyond.


10 Comments

  1. I personally loved the third ‘The Foundling Mother’s List of Pain’, the bond between the Mother and their child even when they are apart. The 2nd is too political for me and there is ignorance from both sides, it just hurts me too much, and frustrates me. The first is a great ekphrastic poem, though a little complicated for me.

  2. Can I by an anthology of this year’s winning poems, if so, please provide me with an address I can write to and order one.

  3. This is awesome! Loved reading.

    However , I still don’t know if my poem went through or not I didn’t get any confirmation from anyone.

  4. It has been really interesting to read the judge’s comments. As I have not made the list of near-misses I shall keep trying!

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