Teignmouth Poetry Festival 2020 - Poetry Competition
It is with great sadness that we had to cancel this year’s Poetry Festival, and were unable to hold our awards ceremony. Whether or not we can do something at a later date is an unknown at the moment, but we are delighted to announce our competition results. Well done to all our winners and commended poets.
It is with great sadness that we had to cancel this year’s Poetry Festival, and were unable to hold our awards ceremony. Whether or not we can do something at a later date is an unknown at the moment, but we are delighted to announce our competition results. Well done to all our winners and commended poets.

Teignmouth Poetry Festival is delighted to announce that the following poems have been shortlisted for our 2020 Poetry Competitions.
Winners will be announced at our awards ceremony on Saturday 21st March
at Pavilions Teignmouth, when shortlisted poets are invited to read their poems.
The event starts at 6.30pm and entry is free.
Before this event Hannah Lowe will be giving a reading at 4.00pm – Tickets for Hannah Lowe and other festival events can be purchased through www.poetryteignmouth.com/festival-2020
Open Competition shortlist in alphabetical order – Judge Hannah Lowe
Virginia Astley - Showman
John Freeman - Compatible
John Freeman - Getting Them In
Jo Haslam - The Kiss
Miriam Jones - Home-time
Lisa Kelly - Homing
Surya Ohara - ພໍ່ (Phor)
Cheryl Pearson - Portrait of Lot as Widower
Samuel Ugbechie - Two Bleeding Sidewalls of Dark
Tim Waller - Winter in Istanbul
Local Competition shortlist in alphabetical order – Judges Susan Taylor and Simon Williams
Edward Aldous - Zero
Mark Cooper - Clean Boots
Liz Diamond - Harvesting with my grand-daughter
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Festival Open Poetry Competition
Prizes: 1st - £500 2nd - £250 3rd - £100
Judge: Hannah Lowe
Local Competition (Post codes TQ12, TQ14, EX7 only)
Prizes: 1st - £100 2nd - £50 3rd - £25
Judges: Susan Taylor and Simon Williams
Closing date: 31 January 2020
Winners to be announced Saturday 21 March 2020
at
Teignmouth Poetry Festival
19 to 22 March 2020
Winners will be announced at our awards ceremony on Saturday 21st March
at Pavilions Teignmouth, when shortlisted poets are invited to read their poems.
The event starts at 6.30pm and entry is free.
Before this event Hannah Lowe will be giving a reading at 4.00pm – Tickets for Hannah Lowe and other festival events can be purchased through www.poetryteignmouth.com/festival-2020
Open Competition shortlist in alphabetical order – Judge Hannah Lowe
Virginia Astley - Showman
John Freeman - Compatible
John Freeman - Getting Them In
Jo Haslam - The Kiss
Miriam Jones - Home-time
Lisa Kelly - Homing
Surya Ohara - ພໍ່ (Phor)
Cheryl Pearson - Portrait of Lot as Widower
Samuel Ugbechie - Two Bleeding Sidewalls of Dark
Tim Waller - Winter in Istanbul
Local Competition shortlist in alphabetical order – Judges Susan Taylor and Simon Williams
Edward Aldous - Zero
Mark Cooper - Clean Boots
Liz Diamond - Harvesting with my grand-daughter
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Festival Open Poetry Competition
Prizes: 1st - £500 2nd - £250 3rd - £100
Judge: Hannah Lowe
Local Competition (Post codes TQ12, TQ14, EX7 only)
Prizes: 1st - £100 2nd - £50 3rd - £25
Judges: Susan Taylor and Simon Williams
Closing date: 31 January 2020
Winners to be announced Saturday 21 March 2020
at
Teignmouth Poetry Festival
19 to 22 March 2020

JUDGE - OPEN COMPETITION - HANNAH LOWE
Hannah Lowe’s first poetry collection Chick (Bloodaxe, 2013) won the Michael Murphy Memorial Award for Best First Collection and was short-listed for the Forward, Aldeburgh and Seamus Heaney Best First Collection Prizes. Her second collection is Chan (Bloodaxe, 2016). In 2014 she was named as one of 20 Next Generation British poets, an accolade awarded once a decade. She has also published four chapbooks: The Hitcher (Rialto, 2012); R x (sine wave peak, 2013); Ormonde (Hercules Editions, 2014), and most recently The Neighbourhood (Outspoken Press, 2019). She lectures in Creative Writing at Brunel University.
Hannah Lowe’s first poetry collection Chick (Bloodaxe, 2013) won the Michael Murphy Memorial Award for Best First Collection and was short-listed for the Forward, Aldeburgh and Seamus Heaney Best First Collection Prizes. Her second collection is Chan (Bloodaxe, 2016). In 2014 she was named as one of 20 Next Generation British poets, an accolade awarded once a decade. She has also published four chapbooks: The Hitcher (Rialto, 2012); R x (sine wave peak, 2013); Ormonde (Hercules Editions, 2014), and most recently The Neighbourhood (Outspoken Press, 2019). She lectures in Creative Writing at Brunel University.

JUDGES - LOCAL COMPETITION -
SUSAN TAYLOR AND SIMON WILLIAMS
Susan Taylor & Simon Williams have been writing since their teens and each has eight published collections, the latest being a co-authored pamphlet, The Weather House, published in 2017 by Indigo Dreams. Susan holds a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University and Simon was elected The Bard of Exeter in 2013. They founded the large-format magazine, The Broadsheet which they’ve edited together for the past five years. They co-edited and published the well-received PLAY Anthology in 2018. Both Simon and Susan are keen performers and Susan has developed and toured poetry shows, including La Loba – Enchanting the Wolf. Simon is currently developing a science poetry show, Cosmic Latte.
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SUSAN TAYLOR AND SIMON WILLIAMS
Susan Taylor & Simon Williams have been writing since their teens and each has eight published collections, the latest being a co-authored pamphlet, The Weather House, published in 2017 by Indigo Dreams. Susan holds a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University and Simon was elected The Bard of Exeter in 2013. They founded the large-format magazine, The Broadsheet which they’ve edited together for the past five years. They co-edited and published the well-received PLAY Anthology in 2018. Both Simon and Susan are keen performers and Susan has developed and toured poetry shows, including La Loba – Enchanting the Wolf. Simon is currently developing a science poetry show, Cosmic Latte.
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For festival details click here.