This year's prize has been awarded to Maria Isakova-Bennett for her collection 'I Paint from Remembered Landscapes'. Guest judge Elvire Roberts praised the winning submission as 'head and shoulders above the rest'. The two other shortlisted collections were by 'The Way You Hear it In Your Head' by Jeff Skinner, and 'Dark Stars' by American poet D Rhodes.
As part of the prize, the winning collection will be published as a pamphlet in chapbook form, with a launch event taking place in the Department of English later this semester. The publication will be produced in collaboration with colleagues in Design and Print, while the launch will feature readings from Loughborough students.
The Overton Poetry Prize is organised by Kerry Featherstone, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, and attracts entries from poets around the world. Income generated through entry fees is reinvested into the University’s creative writing community, supporting initiatives such as writers-in-residence, guest workshops and author talks.
Established in memory of Professor Bill Overton (1946-2012), former Head of the Department of English, the prize celebrates his lifelong commitment to poetry through teaching, research, and writing. The competition is open to writers worldwide and invites submissions of poetry sequences of any subject of up to 300 lines.
Find out more about the Overton Poetry Prize