Tower Poetry

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Tower Poetry is an organisation affiliated with Christ Church, Oxford that aims to promote the reading and writing of poetry in young people. The group is funded by a donation from the late Christopher Tower, and run by Oxford University lecturer, Dr Anna Nickerson.

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Tower Poetry runs the annual Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes (also known as the Tower Poetry Competition) and the biennial Tower Poetry Summer School, a residential course for 18- to 23-year-olds, held at Christ Church. [1]

Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes

The Christopher Tower Poetry Prizes are annual prizes awarded to young poets in education in the United Kingdom between the ages of 16 and 18, for poems submitted on a set theme. The prizes are administered by Christ Church, Oxford, and are funded by a bequest by the late Christopher Tower. Since their launch in 2000, the prizes have become recognised as one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious poetry awards for young writers. [2] Several past winners and runners-up have gone on to win other major poetry competitions, such as the Eric Gregory Award, and to publish collections.

Past winners and runners-up

YearThemeFirst prizeSecond prizeThird prizeRunners-upGuest Judges
2001BlueRebecca DudleyMairi BrewisFelicity MarksEve Blair, Swithun Cooper, Charlotte Dickens, Isabella Mead Andrew Motion and Paul Muldoon
2002FloodsAnna LewisDhruv SookhooThom GloverChristopher Edwards, Kezia Gaitskell, Holly Patterson Kathleen Jamie and Ruth Padel
2003PassportAruna NairWing Ying ChowHannah BriggsJames Williams, Tim Smith-Laing, Sarah Henderson Lavinia Greenlaw and Anthony Thwaite
2004Early MorningKatherine HindleyNancy FreemanLaura Tisdale Caroline Bird, Joanna Moorman, Helen Mort Frank Ormsby and Jon Stallworthy
2005Gravity Eley Williams Craig FarrellMiranda CichyFrancesca Beasley, Rebecca Hawkes, Shin Woo Kang Gillian Clarke and Philip Pullman
2006A BuildingColette SensierAlice MalinAlice AlexandreDavid Devanny, Charlotte Geater, Julia Rampen Mark Ford and Carol Rumens
2007FlightCharlotte RuncieAnnie Katchinska Sophie Mackintosh Alice Howlett, Laura Marsh, Rees Arnott Davies Jo Shapcott and Francine Stock
2008ChangeEmily MiddletonAshley McMullinNina BahadurRichard O’Brien, Charlotte Geater, Amelia Penny, Anna Savory Simon Armitage and Alan Jenkins
2009DoubtTimothy CarsonIona Twiston-DaviesPaul MerchantCharlotte Turner, Sophie Stephenson-Wright, Emma Jourdan, Bethany Aitman Jane Draycott and Daljit Nagra
2010PromisesEmily HarrisonKatie WoodsMegan OwensJamie Sutherland, Julia Goroszeniuk, Hugo Havranek Stephen Romer and Michael Schmidt
2011SimplicityElizabeth JohnsonJack WestmoreAbigail RichardsJames Browning, Thomas Fraser, Molly Underwood Frances Leviston and David Morley
2012VoyagesSarah FletcherBethan SmithMillie GuilleHannah Tran, Lucy Hely-Hutchinson, Jack Whitehead Don Paterson and Christopher Reid
2013The DetailsAzfa AliSarah FletcherErin TunneyKathryn Cussons, Luke van den Barselaar, Eva Wallace Carrie Etter and Bernard O'Donoghue
2014NewsDominic HandSam BucktonMasha VoylesAlexander Shaw, Charlie Holmes, Jessica Matthews, Phoebe StuckesOlivia McCannon and Kei Miller
2015CellsIsla AndersonMax ThomasLewis HarringtonJeremiah Ovenden, Matt Ward, Andrew Wells Ian McMillan and Helen Mort
2016WonderAshani LewisSafah AhmedSophia WestNatasha Blinder, Ed Pryor, Grace FraserAlan Gillis and Katherine Rundell
2017StoneElla StandageAnnie FanRachel OyawaleFreya Gray Stone, Flora Barber, Sofia Al-Hussaini Vahni Capildeo and Sarah Howe
2018Secrets'Taraneh PeryieLucy ThynneRobbi SherZiqi Yan, Miranda Green, Annie Fan John Fuller and Christopher Reid
2019UnderwaterLucy PrescottLucy ThynneJoseph HarrisonIsobel Falk, Anjali Mulcock, Flora Rugman Angela Leighton and Vidyan Ravinthiran
2020TreesNadia LinesFiyinfoluwa Timothy OladipoAhana BanerjiJoyce Chen, Toby Morrison, Zara Meadows, Sabrina Coghlan-Jasiewicz A.E. Stallings and Rebecca Watts
2021The KeyAmy BeverleyVictoria FletcherAyra AhmadNaz Kaynakcioglu, Skye Linforth, Em Power Kwame Dawes and Elise Paschen
2022DreamLeo Kang BeeversErin HateleyLivvy OwenReona Halili, Seohyun (Amy) Shin, Tallula Haynes Jane Griffiths and John Clegg
2023The PlanetsEsther KeeleyLiv GoldreichElise WitheyErin Bishop, Ellen Bray Koss, Eloise Davis, Louise Guy, Grace Lea, Lauren Lisk, Iona Mandal, Malak O'Neill, Phoebe Palmer, Elizabeth Grace StrassheimJulia Copus and Gail McConnell
2024MirrorNabiha AliHeather ChapmanSasha MostafaErin Bishop, Magdalena Bone, Tabitha Giddings, Daphne Harries, Ivy Leatherbarrow, William G. Marshall, Luke Roberts, Izzie Smith, Oscar Tavernier, Leah VickeryJane Yeh and Will Harris

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References

  1. "Christ Church, Oxford University".
  2. "News". 12 March 2018.