Olivia Tuck has been announced as winner of Winchester Poetry Prize 2025 with her poem ‘ Child With A Lighthouse’
The winner of Winchester Poetry Prize 2025 was announced in front of a packed room at The ARC, and livestreamed globally, last month as part of Winchester Poetry Festival 2025.
The competition attracted 2284 entries this year, with 41 entries paid for by other poets/donors using a Pay it Forward Scheme allowing those on low-incomes to participate. Although the top three winners were UK-based, there were entries from 34 countries including Serbia, Singapore, Sweden and the States.
Olivia Tuck (pictured top), from Wiltshire, won with her poem Child With A Lighthouse. Second prize went to Victoria Bentley with the poem keck. Third prize went to Olga Dermott-Bond with The Curious Case of Typhoid Mary. The Kathryn Bevis Prize award to the strongest poem entered into the competition by a Hampshire-based poet, was won by Christina Moran for Underwonderland.
All of the entries were read and judged blind by the triple T S Eliot Prize shortlisted poet Fiona Benson, who presented the special prize-giving event as part of the festival programme. The longlisted poets travelled from across the country to be there to discover their placing, with those from other countries attending online. The event was live-streamed so that audiences around the world could watch.
All of the winning, commended and highly commended poems are collected in an anthology entitled The Lantern Room which can be purchased from Winchester Poetry Festival’s website, or from P&G Wells Bookshop.
The dynamic programme for Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 combined 24 performances, workshops, activities and readings. Thanks to support from Winchester City Council, 9 of these were free to attend.
Olivia Tuck said: “Winning the Winchester Prize has transformed my confidence as a writer. It’s given me such validation and motivated me to get back to my keyboard. More than this, however, I’m immensely proud to have won first prize among so many utterly extraordinary poems written by poets I deeply respect and admire, and to have been given this amazing part in such a special festival: vibrant, warm, and inclusive. What an honour.”
Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 will open in April next year. Winchester Poetry Day is planned to take place at The ARC on Saturday 10th October 2026 subject to funding.
To find out more, visit winchesterpoetryfestival.org
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