Listowel Writers’ Week Announce Shortlist for The Pigott Poetry Prize Award 2018

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This award is for the best collection of poetry by an Irish poet published between 1st February 2017 and 1st February 2018 and carries a winning prize of €8,000.

The Pigott Poetry Prize is sponsored by Mark Pigott KBE who shared, “It is a blessing to be able to support this wonderful literary award and recognise the leading poets of Ireland. This is the 5th year of the Prize and the competition is world class. I would like to congratulate our adjudicators Billy Collins and Deryn Rees Jones for their hard work and through review of all the entrants and congratulate them on their excellent selection of this year’s shortlist which showcases the beauty, diversity and strength of Irish Poetry”.

The winner will be announced at the Opening Ceremony of this year’s Listowel Writers’ Week on May 30th 2018 and where he/she will be presented with the prize. The runners up each receive €1,000 each.

Speaking of the shortlist, Festival Chairperson Liz Dunn said, Increasingly, Irish poetry is receiving the worldwide acclaim it so heartily deserves. The calibre of submissions this year is reflected in the collections of our three shortlisted poets. We congratulate each of them and look forward to meeting and congratulating them at the Festival in May.”

The shortlisted collections are:
•    Selected Poems by Colette Bryce
Published by Picador Poetry

•    On Balance by Sinead Morrissey
Published by Carcanet

•    Angel Hill by Michael Longley
Published by Cape Poetry, Jonathan Cape

Listowel Writers’ Week takes place between the 30th May and 3rd June 2018.  This year’s festival will feature the usual host of national and international authors and poets such as Margaret Drabble who was unable to attend last year, Jon McGregor, Pauline Bewick, Alex Preston and Louise O’Neill to name a short selection. The full
programme will be announced in April.

For further information see www.writersweek.ie