Joint Winners of Prestigious Forward Prize Take Home £10,000 Each in Record-Breaking Year
This year's Forward Prize for Best Collection has yielded a historic first: two joint winners. Canadian poet Karen Solie and US-based Tamil poet Vidyan Ravinthiran have been named as the top contenders, marking the first time in the prize's 31-year history that the award has been shared.
Ravinthiran's collection, Avidyā, took its place among the shortlist for tackling "journeys of great personal significance" from a migrant perspective. Described as having emerged from a "migrant sensibility tied to three different countries," the book has garnered praise for its unique blend of experiences and perspectives.
Solie's Wellwater stood out for its self-interrogative tone, delving into the intersection of culture and crisis, while also addressing the natural world on the brink. Judges praised both collections for their ability to speak to our "urgent challenges" – climate change, war, and migration – with personal insight and philosophical depth.
The joint win comes as a significant recognition for Ravinthiran's unique voice and Solie's thought-provoking exploration of identity and culture. Each poet took home the top award's £5,000 prize, marking a new benchmark in the prestigious Forward Prize series.
Alongside the joint winners, other notable recipients emerged from this year's shortlist. Isabelle Baafi won the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection for her stunning debut, Chaotic Good, which celebrates transformation through the story of escape from a toxic marriage. Abeer Ameer took home the prize for Best Single Poem in Written Form with At Least, a devastating meditation on loss and the duplicity of language used to sanitise tragedy.
The Forward Prize continues its tradition of showcasing some of poetry's most powerful voices, tackling topics that are increasingly pressing for our world today.
This year's Forward Prize for Best Collection has yielded a historic first: two joint winners. Canadian poet Karen Solie and US-based Tamil poet Vidyan Ravinthiran have been named as the top contenders, marking the first time in the prize's 31-year history that the award has been shared.
Ravinthiran's collection, Avidyā, took its place among the shortlist for tackling "journeys of great personal significance" from a migrant perspective. Described as having emerged from a "migrant sensibility tied to three different countries," the book has garnered praise for its unique blend of experiences and perspectives.
Solie's Wellwater stood out for its self-interrogative tone, delving into the intersection of culture and crisis, while also addressing the natural world on the brink. Judges praised both collections for their ability to speak to our "urgent challenges" – climate change, war, and migration – with personal insight and philosophical depth.
The joint win comes as a significant recognition for Ravinthiran's unique voice and Solie's thought-provoking exploration of identity and culture. Each poet took home the top award's £5,000 prize, marking a new benchmark in the prestigious Forward Prize series.
Alongside the joint winners, other notable recipients emerged from this year's shortlist. Isabelle Baafi won the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection for her stunning debut, Chaotic Good, which celebrates transformation through the story of escape from a toxic marriage. Abeer Ameer took home the prize for Best Single Poem in Written Form with At Least, a devastating meditation on loss and the duplicity of language used to sanitise tragedy.
The Forward Prize continues its tradition of showcasing some of poetry's most powerful voices, tackling topics that are increasingly pressing for our world today.
31 years in and they're finally recognizing joint winners? Interesting how Abeer Ameer's poem won the single prize, that's a tough one to win! 
. i mean, it's a record-breaker and all that, but still feels like a lot of cash just because they're sharing it between 'em 
. i'm happy for Ravinthiran tho, their collection sounds really unique & thoughtful - love the idea of migration as a journey of self-discovery 
. Solie's work is pretty thought-provoking too, always good to see poets tackling climate change & identity stuff in a deep way 
. glad to see some fresh faces popping up on that shortlist too, like Baafi & Ameer - can't wait to check out their stuff 
. And Vidyan Ravinthiran's Avidyā is like nothing I've ever read before - it's so refreshing to see a poet tackling migration and identity from their unique perspective 
. The judges' praise for both collections is well-deserved, as they did tackle some really urgent challenges with personal insight and depth 
.
! I mean, it's like they're totally killing the game with their collections, right? Karen Solie and Vidyan Ravinthiran are like two peas in a pod, exploring these heavy themes of identity, culture, and crisis. And £10k each is like, woah! That's crazy 
. I love that they're speaking to our "urgent challenges" with personal insight and philosophical depth - it's so needed right now 
It's amazing to see Karen Solie and Vidyan Ravinthiran taking home that £5k each 
It's up by 15% compared to last year! 
And the most popular topics? Climate change (35%), mental health (23%), and social justice (17%) 
. I think it's great that poets are tackling these tough issues with personal insight and philosophical depth.
The average age of book club members is now 29, compared to 36 in 2018! 
i mean, it's so rare in these kinds of awards that you get two people who are really pushing the boundaries like this. and let's be real, their collections are both absolute masterpieces 
and it's a testament to how amazing their work is. I've been listening to Ravinthiran's collection Avidyā nonstop and I'm obsessed - her writing is like a masterclass in storytelling. Solie's Wellwater is also incredible, I love how she explores the intersection of culture and crisis... I feel like we're living in some kind of dystopian novel or something 
. The Forward Prize is all about celebrating the voices that really matter, you know?
. I mean, don't get me wrong, their work is probably great and all, but £10k? Can you imagine if that money just got absorbed into the existing literary establishment? It's like, where's the disruption? The innovation? I'd rather see some new, fresh talent making waves instead of these established poets cashing in on their names 
️. The fact that we get two joint winners is just the cherry on top – it's a major recognition of these talented poets' work 
!
. So, you gotta wonder what's behind the Forward Prize's decision to break away from tradition and award two joint winners this year? It feels like the prize committee is trying to send a message – that these poets' unique voices and perspectives are worth celebrating, even if it means bucking the system 
.
. Karen Solie and Vidyan Ravinthiran's collections have clearly resonated with the judges, and it's no surprise given how timely and thought-provoking their work is on climate change, war, and migration 
. And congrats to Isabelle Baafi on her Jerwood Prize win for Chaotic Good - can't wait to dive into that debut collection! 
and avidya by ravinthiran is like a breath of fresh air, it's all about those journeys of great personal significance from a migrant perspective, really speaks to me as someone who's always felt like an outsider 
they're addressing the big issues like climate change 
in such a personal way, it's really inspiring