After many weeks of reading, reviewing, deliberating, and discussing over 500 entries received from around the world for this year’s competition, we are delighted to share this year’s Poet of the Year Competition longlist.

The long-listed poems will be published in our annual anthology which may be purchased soon from the Festival Office for £5 each.  The shortlisted poems will be eligible for the Poet of the Year Award, along with second and third places. Keep an eye out on the Festival’s website for the announcement!

Join us online on National Poetry Day for this year’s Awards Evening. The event will take place on Zoom with readings from this year’s finalists and feedback from our judges on Thursday 6^th October at 7.30pm. For more details click here.

Longlist 2022

Patrick Kennedy	Gordon Aindow
Birds from the Harbor	Bernice Chan
Patchwork carpet	A C Clarke
Girl at a Poetry Reading	Tina Cole
Last Wednesday at the Laundrette	Tina Cole
Sylvia – On the Beach in a White Bathing Suit	Martin Cordery
When she was a body of water	Kerry Darbishire
Mr Kay’s Passion	Caroline Franklyn
Death of a Special Effects Designer	Dominic Harbinson
The Inventory Keeper	Christopher Horton
Dermochelys coriacea	Christopher M James
scripted	Aldona Kapacinskaite
We Have a Twin	David Lewis
There’s no smoke for the fool	Richard Lister
blackbird	Ron Ogilvie
Fantasia	Miriam Patrick
In Brand New Coats	Kerry Rawlinson
Mrs Blake is Born	Isobel Roach
The Sitter	Greta Ross
Ivan makes a violin for his son	Greta Ross
Stella	Fiona Sinclair
Bellini	David Terelinck
Throw a double six to start!	Janys Thornton
Signs everything hates you	Christian Ward
Lighthing	Cathy Whittaker
Aunt Clare	Cathy Whittaker
Last Moments	James Knox Whittet
Fear	Kate Young

Many congratulations to all the long-listed poets! We look forward to announcing the list of the short-listed poems, and to award the Poet of the Year 2022.