OVER 500 entries were received for this year’s Wigtown Poetry Prizes
They came from all around the world and are in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic.
And the shortlist has now been unveiled for the three awards: Wigtown International Prize; Wigtown Scots Prize; and Wigtown Gaelic Prize, along with the Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize.
Nicholas Walker, Wigtown Poetry Prize group chair, said: “Poetry enriches our lives and cultures. The Wigtown Poetry Prizes are particularly special because they are rooted in the heritage of Scotland but aim to nurture and encourage poets from every part of the world, in Scotland’s three different languages.
“I’m glad to see that enthusiasm for them is thriving, and even growing, with an increase in entries compared to last year.
“The judges have faced some real challenges narrowing down to shortlists of commended poems, and I am looking forward to hearing their comments in more detail when they announce the winners at the 2024 Wigtown Book Festival.”
Gerda Stevenson – above – was on the panel and said: “I have found it particularly interesting to discover what poets are writing about in these very dark times.
“The challenges were different. Reading through 100 pamphlets, well over 1000 poems, was a complex task, examining the way in which the poems in each pamphlet linked thematically.”
The overall winners will be announced at the book festival on Friday October 4.
