The Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry seeks to recognise excellence in poetry, highlighting outstanding contributions made by poets to our cultural life. The £5,000 prize is donated by Carol Ann Duffy, funded from the annual honorarium the Poet Laureate traditionally receives from HM The Queen.

The National Poetry Library are especially pleased to see Inua Ellams shortlisted for #Afterhours which was written using our collection as a springboard for the poet to rewrite his childhood. Inua visited us every week and wrote a regular blog documenting his progress for our website which helped form part of the book.

The shortlist:

• Jay Bernard for Surge: Side A (Speaking Volumes)
• Caroline Bird for In These Days of Prohibition (Carcanet)
• Kayo Chingonyi for Kumukanda (Chatto)
• Inua Ellams for #Afterhours (Nine Arches Press)
• Matthew Francis for The Mabinogi (Faber & Faber)
• Antony Owen for The Nagasaki Elder (V Press)
• Greta Stoddart for Who's There? (BBC)

The winner will be announced at the Ted Hughes Award & National Poetry Competition awards ceremony on 28th March 2018.

Read more about the Ted Hughes Award on the Poetry Society website