Today, on #NationalPoetryDay, we’re celebrating the Forward Book of Poetry 2026, published by @ FaberBooks.
It brings together the best poetry published and performed in Britain and Ireland in the past year. It’s a not-to-be-missed overview for poetry fans and a great way in for new readers of contemporary poetry. The anthology celebrates over seventy of the best poems written in the last year: spotlighting poets shortlisted in the Forward Prizes for Poetry and fifty poets with highly commended poems. Follow the link in our bio to find out more!
#ForwardPrizes #ForwardBook2026 #PoetryLovers #NewBooks
Poetry = happiness.
So why not scan this QR code, settle somewhere lovely with a cup of tea and your favourite biscuit, and dive into the five jaw-dropping performances from the Best Single Poem - Performed shortlist 2025.
Featuring stunning performances from the winner, @griotgabriel , plus @raymond_antrobus@bellacoxpoet@joshuaidehen and Zoë McWhinney this is one quick and powerful injection of art, poetry, performance and beauty: and a front-row seat to them all is at your fingertips.
#ForwardPrizes
Love, love, LOVE this 👏🏾👏🏾
@sashajdm@fitzcarraldoeditions
Read the poem in its entirety - and other brilliant voices - in our 2026 Anthology, out now.
#ForwardPrizes
Ah, we love, love, love this.
Will Eaves: discover his work:
With thanks to @cbeditions
Just a reminder - this poem - and many more brilliant ones - can be found in our 2026 Anthology, available to order and buy at all good bookshops.
Have a beautiful weekend, beautiful poetry lovers. May the sun shine on your faces.
From the Forward Archives
a tantalising fragment of Tife Kusoro's 2024 shortlisted Single Poem
@boluwatifs@thepoetrysociety
Find out more:
/in-conversation-with-tife-kusoro/
Forward Prizes Young Poets Summit Slam 🎤
The 2024–25 Summit season began with an in-person gathering last October — so it felt only right that we begin the countdown to the season close the same way: together, in the room, sharing poems.
This special Summit Slam brought together brilliant young poets from across the UK and beyond for a powerful evening of performance, connection and community.
Hosted by One Mic Stand in partnership with the Forward Prizes’ Young Poets Summit and Rotterdam Poetry Slam, the stage was full of energy, courage and unforgettable words.
After two electrifying rounds, the winner was @janoma.omena taking home the £250 prize — huge congratulations! 👏
Massive respect to @bycaitlinshawn , 24/25 Slam Champion of @poetryslamrotterdam and Jardel Rodriguez , our Headliners for the night
And all the poets who stepped up to the mic and represented themselves and their organisations so beautifully:
✨ @janoma.omena
✨ @nara.rasool
✨ @gracee.precious
✨ @aliyahbegumm
✨ @its.poetcat
✨ @molly_eroje
✨Ivan Deverick
With poets joining us through:
@youngidentitymcr@thepoetrysociety@thewritingsquadofficial@hivesouthyorkshire@londonwriterscentre@durhampoetrysociety@applesandsnakes@poetryslamrotterdam
Photos by Alex Morgan 📸
Thank you to everyone who helped make this moment happen — a fitting live celebration as the Summit season draws to a close.
@onemicstand@forwardprizes
More than ever, we need poetry.
We need poems to help us make sense of this world and dream of a better one.
We need poets.
We need your voice.
There is one week left to apply for the Forward Prizes for Poetry 2026. The submission entry closes this Sunday.
Apply by 15 March.
Rules and terms of entry at the link in our bio.
#WorldBookDay — and make it poetry 📚💛
Recommend a poetry book for #WorldBookDay — tag the poet and the publisher if you can, and inspire your networks and community to make poetry a huge, essential part of the day.
Scroll l-r to see some of the books we're reading at Forward. #ForwardPrizes #PoetryCommunity #PoetryBooks #PoetryMatters
✨ From the archives ✨
A shattering glimpse into the work of @inuaellams .
Nigerian-born multidisciplinary artist, poet, playwright, performer and curator, Inua was awarded an MBE in 2023 for Services to the Arts.
We love this poem which was Highly Commended by the 2016 Forward judging panel. You can hear it in full, performed by Inua himself, on the usual search engines.
Thanks to publishers, @live.canon International Poetry Festival
#ForwardPrizes #Poetry #PoetryMatters #ForwardArtsFoundation
Have you submitted for the Prizes 2026 yet?
Don't panic if you haven't - there's still a fortnight to go until our deadline for submissions.
Here's your handy reminder of all the key info:
Four categories, £17,000 in prizes:
🏆 Best Collection (£10,000)
🏆 Best First Collection (£5,000)
🏆 Best Single Poem – Written (£1,000)
🏆 Best Single Poem – Performed (£1,000)
Publishers, editors, performance poets - we want to hear your brilliance!
Deadline: Sunday 15 March 2026, 11:59pm
Submissions are free. Full eligibility criteria and how to submit at link in bio: forwardartsfoundation.submittable.com/submit
#ForwardPrizes #Poetry #UKPoetry #PoetryPrize #PoetryCompetition #SubmissionsOpen #PoetsCommunity #PoetryLovers #ContemporaryPoetry #PoetryMatters
As part of our mission to celebrate poetry and support poets, we wanted to share a heart-breaking fragment from Karen McCarthy Woolf’s The Paperwork. 💛
This poem appears in her collection An Aviary of Small Birds (Carcanet Press, Oxford Poets).
Discover more about this incredible poet here:
/in-conversation-with-karen-mccarthy-woolf/
Thank you, @karenmccarthywoolf , for your words that move and inspire us. ✨
#ForwardPoetryPrizes
#KarenMcCarthyWoolf #PoetryLovers #PoetryCommunity #OxfordPoets
#Carcanet
