- Two decades of celebrating poets from Scotland and worldwide
- Poets describe winning as a highlight of their careers
St Andrew’s Day sees the launch of the 2025 Wigtown Poetry Prizes – Scotland’s international three-language awards.
The 20th annual Wigtown Poetry Prizes, which will be awarded at the annual book festival in Scotland’s National Book Town, will continue to build on the strong tradition of nurturing and showcasing work in each of the country’s indigenous languages – English, Gaelic and Scots.
Launched at a time when Scotland had no major poetry competition, it has grown to become a major literary accolade attracting hundreds of entries from every part of the world.
And the judging panels have featured the likes of Liz Lochhead, Gerda Stevenson, John Burnside, Rody Gorman, Bill Herbert, Christine De Luca, Aonghas MacNeacail and John Glenday guaranteeing the prestige of the awards.
Nicholas Walker, Wigtown Poetry Prize Group Chair, said: “This is an anniversary to treasure. The Wigtown Poetry Prizes have come a long way in the past two decades.
“Poetry is one of the most powerful forms of human expression and something to be cherished and encouraged.
“And what is so special about our prizes is that they provide a world-wide platform not just for work connected to Scotland, but for poetry in all our languages, bringing an incredible richness and variety not just to the prizes but to the world of poetry.”
For the poets, winning one of the Wigtown Prizes is something to cherish.
Joint winner of the 2024 Wigtown International Prize Marcas Mac an Tuairneir said: “The Wigtown prizes are significant in that they promote inclusion and equal recognition of Scotland’s three literary languages in our literature.
“Winning the Gaelic Prize in 2017 was a significant boost to my confidence, working in the language and I believe that the competition is significant in challenging our contemporary Gaelic poets to step up and keep refining their craft.
“The international Prize was a dream come true to win, and underscored for me the reality that multilingual writers should aspire to being great writers across all their languages. To be the recipient of the award alongside Magi Gibson was a career highlight, and the memories of that night will remain with me until my last poem is written.”
The other joint winner, Magi Gibson, added: “The Wigtown Poetry Prize is highly respected, not just in Scotland but internationally too.
“More and more people are enthusiastic about poetry these days. At its best it not only connects us to a deeper truth, it soothes the storms of the soul.
“I especially value that entries to the Prize are read by the selected judge rather than a team of readers, and that all entries are anonymous.”
The 2025 awards
Wigtown International Prize
- Winner: £1,500
- Runner-up: £200
Wigtown Scots Prize
- Winner: £500
- Runner-up: £200
Supported by Saltire Society
Wigtown Scottish Gaelic Prize
- Winner: £500
- Runner-up: £200
Supported by The Gaelic Books Council
Dumfries & Galloway Fresh Voice Award
Professional support including mentoring by Wigtown Festival Company and a retreat at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre.
Alastair Reid Pamphlet Prize
- Winner: Publication of a pamphlet set by Gerry Cambridge.
Plus – a winner of one or more categories will be selected at the discretion of StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival and Wigtown Festival Company.
- Entries close at noon (UK time) on 7 May, 2025.
- Full details at www.wigtownpoetryprize.com
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Notes to editors
Picture by Colin Tennant.
About the Wigtown Poetry Prize
Founded in 2005 and refreshed and rebranded in 2019, Wigtown Poetry Prize welcomes entries from poets writing in English wherever they may live. Separate categories celebrate the best of Scottish Gaelic and Scots language poetry, a special category acknowledges a rising talent in Dumfries & Galloway, and a pamphlet prize is named in memory of Alastair Reid – local poet and one of Scotland’s foremost literary figures.
- Website: www.wigtownpoetryprize.com
- Email: [email protected]
The competition takes place in association with:
- The Gaelic Books Council https://www.gaelicbooks.org
- Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre https://www.moniackmhor.org.uk
- Saltire Society https://www.saltiresociety.org.uk
- Scottish Poetry Library https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk
- StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival http://www.stanzapoetry.org
About The Gaelic Books Council
Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (The Gaelic Books Council) is the lead organisation with responsibility for supporting Scottish Gaelic authors and publishers, and for raising the profile and reach of Scottish Gaelic books in Scotland and internationally. Established in 1968, Comhairle nan Leabhraichean is a registered charity and receives support from Creative Scotland and from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
About The Saltire Society
The Saltire Society seeks to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland. It works to preserve all that is best in Scottish traditions and to encourage new developments which can strengthen and enrich the country’s cultural life. It acts as a catalyst, celebrant and commentator through an annual programme of awards, lectures, debates and projects. Founded in 1936 is a non-political independent charity with membership branches throughout Scotland.
About StAnza
StAnza’s mission is to celebrate poetry, to bring poetry to audiences and to enable encounters with poetry. The organisation works all year round to deliver poetry events and projects in Scotland and beyond. Its main focus is the annual festival in St Andrews each spring and it is recognised as one of the leading poetry festivals in the UK and Europe. StAnza also actively promotes readings in foreign or minority languages and has featured poets reading in many of the national languages of Europe, as well as in regional languages and dialects. We regularly include Gaelic and Scots language poets.
For media information and interview requests contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or [email protected]