Jason Allen-Paisant, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, and Kathryn Bevis are among the 20 poets shortlisted for the 2023 Forward Prizes for Poetry. The Forward Prizes for Poetry have added a new award for the best performed poem, which will be celebrated with a dedicated award. The shortlist includes categories for the best collection, debut collection, and single written poem, along with the new award for the best performed poem.
Established in 1992 the Forward Prizes for Poetry have since recognised some of the biggest names in poetry, including Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, and Carol Ann Duffy. The winners of this year’s prizes will be announced on October 16th.
Jason Allen-Paisant is a scholar and an award-winning poet whose Thinking with Trees won the poetry category of the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Kathryn Bevis is a poet and writer based in London. Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa is a poet and performer based in London.
The Forward Prizes for Poetry have two judging panels for the 2023 prizes. Joelle Taylor is the Chair of Judges for the Best Single Poems panel, and she is joined by Khadijah Ibrahiim, Caroline Bird, Chris Redmond, and Sue Roberts. Bernardine Evaristo is the Chair of Judges for the Best Collections panel, and she is joined by Kate Fox, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Andrés N.
