Wordsmithery*

"Rosie was always in love with words and with the world and all of its colour. But it was not until she was over forty that she began to express that love through poetry. Getting her poetry published in a competitive world with so many talented poets and few enough opportunities was, as for everyone, a hard task. Rosie wrote around 1,000 beautiful poems of which only about 150 have been published in one form or another. Therefore, she would be delighted to have a prize given in her name, not only for the honour and enhancement of her growing reputation, but also for the opportunity for other poets to add to their own career."

Richard Cooper, Rosie's widower

 

The Prize was established in 2021 to commemorate the poet Rosemary McLeish, and encourage writing about nature. The winners of our inaugural competition were; 'Owl Pellet at Grey Wethers' by Sue Proffitt - 1st place. 'Bringing the outside in' by Bronach Rae - 2nd place. 'High Water' by Helen Kay - 3rd place. All the longlisted and winning entries are published in an anthology. 

 

This year's prize invites UK-based writers to enter poems on the theme of climate or climate change. The prize is open 18 April - 30 June 2024 and the first 50 entrants will receive a FREE copy of the 2021 Winners' Anthology.

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Judge for this year's prize is writer Sarah Hehir. In a winning entry: "I'm looking to be moved. Surprised. I would like to get a sense of an original voice excited about using words to tell a story or transmit a feeling or message. It doesn't have to be tricksy or clever. Just fresh."

 

Enter here. 

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