Good news! The UK’s only Disabled Poets Prize is now open for entries!
This significant opportunity, now in its third year, offers a unique platform for UK-based deaf and disabled poets to showcase their work and gain well-deserved recognition.
The Disabled Poets Prize was created to address the challenges that disabled writers often face in developing their careers. It aims to spotlight the exceptional work produced by deaf and disabled poets, ensuring their voices are heard and celebrated in the literary world.
Jamie Hale, Prize founder and Artistic Director, CRIPtic Arts says: "Disabled writers are creating exceptional work - and yet rarely receive the mainstream attention it deserves. I founded this Prize to bring more prominence to their work, and I'm very excited to see what this year's submissions bring."
Opportunities for Poets
Winners and shortlisted poets will benefit from career development opportunities provided by prestigious partners like Spread the Word, CRIPtic Arts, The Literary Consultancy, and the Arvon Foundation. Additionally, the winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet prize will have their book published by Verve Poetry Press.
Deaf and disabled poets will be able to submit to two categories - Best Single Poem and Best Unpublished Pamphlet. Prizes for each category include:
- 1st Place: £500
- 2nd Place: £250
- 3rd Place: £100
- Three Highly Commended Entries: £50 each
Ruth Harrison, Director, Spread the Word, says: “Increasing access to literature for both writers and readers is central to Spread the Word’s work, and so we’re delighted to help deliver the Disabled Poets Prize. The outstanding work created by disabled poets deserves to be celebrated and shared, and we hope this Prize can do that.”
Esteemed Judging Panel
The judging panel for this year’s Prize includes acclaimed poets Khairani Barokka, Polly Atkin, and the Prize’s founder, Jamie Hale. They bring extensive experience and a shared commitment to amplifying the voices of disabled poets.
Khairani Barokka, Prize Judge, says: “The Disabled Poets' Prize is very meaningful to myself and to many in our phenomenally talented D/deaf and/or disabled literary community. It aims to celebrate all our stories and verses. I'm delighted to return to the judging panel for it. Jamie Hale founded this Prize to provide a platform to poets who continue to face unjust barriers in the literary sphere, whose artistry is often underestimated, and in fact has always been consistently revelatory.”
Polly Atkin, Prize Judge, says: “The Prize is such an important and necessary part of a poetry ecosystem in which far too many barriers to equality of access and opportunity are perpetuated. The support, perspective, expertise, and community of other disabled writers has been invaluable to me as a writer and a person. The world is better when we work together. I can’t wait to see more disabled poets thrive and develop through initiatives like the Disabled Poets’ Prize. I’m looking forward to reading poems which do the things great poems do on whatever terms they set for themselves: surprise me, change me, change how I experience the world after the poem.”
Free Workshops for Entrants
To support poets in preparing their submissions, two free online workshops, both BSL interpreted, will be offered:
Wednesday 9 October, 6.30pm-8pm
Best Unpublished Pamphlet Prize-winner 2024, Susie Wilson, will run a workshop on Putting Good Pamphlets Together. Places available at: bit.ly/4e6X9Pj
Thursday 10 October, 6.30pm-8pm
2024 Best Single Poem Prize-winner, Gayathiri Kamalakanthan, will run a workshop on editing your poems. Places available at: bit.ly/4dMlaLF
Supporting the Prize
The Disabled Poets Prize is free to enter, with a suggested donation of £7 to help ensure the Prize continues to grow and develop. CRIPtic Arts and Spread the Word also welcome discussions with publishers, funders, and philanthropists interested in supporting new work by deaf and disabled poets.
Entries close at 1pm on Monday, 4th November.
This Prize offers an invaluable opportunity for disabled poets to have their work recognised and celebrated on a national stage. The organisers eagerly anticipate the powerful and moving submissions this year’s Prize will bring.
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