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Poetry Competition 2025 – Winners announced

The Edward Thomas Fellowship Poetry Competition 2025, Edward Cawston Thomas Prize: Results and Judge’s Report

We are pleased to announce the names of the winners of the 2025 Competition, judged by the award- winning poet Jane Draycott.  As usual we have a First prize, with two equal Second prizes, followed by six Highly Commended poems. There were  over three hundred poems entered and our thanks to everyone who entered and warm congratulations to the winners.

The three winning poems can be read here with details of those Highly Commended appearing afterwards. Jane Draycott’s report on the Competition will be available in a few weeks and published on the Poetry Competition page.

First Prize – Alesha Racine  for ‘My Mother as Barn Owl’.  (Alesha was in fact our winner in 2024, but the judge has no idea of who is the author of the poems she selects.)

Joint Second Prizes – Anna Bowles for Tania’s House and  Anna Mindel Crawford for ‘The Anxious Ewe’.

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3 Comments

  1. Becky Willis Becky Willis

    Congratulations to all the winners and highly commended. I loved the arresting drama of the barn owl (first prize) and wept at the painful beauty of the line, ‘Artillery still booms at night, as stars drip into the bath.’ (second prize.)

    I was also so fortunate to have found the poems of the very wonderful Michael Longley through entering this competition and becoming acquainted with the Edward Thomas fellowship. Thanks to all involved in organising this competition and keeping poetry alive and relevant.

    • Jeremy Mitchell Jeremy Mitchell

      Thank you Becky for your kind words, which I will pass on to all involved.

      I am pleased you also found the poems of Michael Longley through entering this competition. I was privileged to attend the Celebration of his life and work, in Belfast, at the weekend. It was both moving and uplifting. I understand there is to be a final, new, collection of his work published later this year.

      With kind regards

      Jeremy

      • Becky Willis Becky Willis

        Thank you for your kind reply, Jeremy. I am so glad that you were able to attend the celebration of Michael Longley’s life. He leaves so much of himself and his brilliant view of life through his wonderful poetry and I look forward to his new collection, although it is very sad it is to be his last.

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