T. S. Eliot Prize

This article is about the prize set up and administered by the Poetry Book Society and now run by the T. S. Eliot Foundation. For the U. S. prize of the same name, see T. S. Eliot Prize (Truman State University).

T. S. Eliot Prize
Awarded forBest collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland
CountryUnited Kingdom
Reward(s)£25,000 GBP (winner)
£1,500 GBP (finalists)
First awarded1993; 31 years ago (1993)
WebsiteOfficial website

The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize for poetry awarded by the T. S. Eliot Foundation. For many years it was awarded by the Eliots' Poetry Book Society (UK) for "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland"[1] in any particular year. The Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in celebration of the Poetry Book Society's 40th birthday and in honour of its founding poet, T. S. Eliot. Since its inception, the prize money was donated by Eliot's widow, Valerie Eliot and more recently it has been given by the T. S. Eliot Estate.

The T. S. Eliot Foundation took over the administration of the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2016, appointing as its new director Chris Holifield (formerly director of the Poetry Book Society),[2] when the former Poetry Book Society charity had to be wound up, with its book club and company name taken over by book sales agency Inpress Ltd in Newcastle. Holifield retired at the end of June 2022 after 20 years in the post, and was replaced by Mike Sims.[3] The winner now receives £25,000 and the ten shortlisted poets each receive £1,500, making it the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry competition. The Prize has been called "the most coveted award in poetry".[4]

The shortlist for the Prize is announced in October of each year, and the 10 shortlisted poets take part in the Readings at the Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre on the evening before the announcement of the Prize.[5] Two thousand people attended the 2011 reading.[6]

  1. ^ "Rules and Conditions of Entry for the T.S. Eliot Prize" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
  2. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (15 June 2016). "Former PBS director Holifield to run T S Eliot Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  3. ^ Bayley, Sian (18 May 2022). "T S Eliot Prize director Holifield retires after 20 years as Sims takes on role". The Bookseller.
  4. ^ Jury, Louise (16 January 2007). "Heaney wins £10,000 TS Eliot prize". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012.
  5. ^ "The T S Eliot Prize". Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. ^ Cran, Rona (27 January 2011). "Report: 2011 T.S.Eliot Prize". The Literateur. Retrieved 12 March 2011.