Manchester Cathedral Poetry Competition is an annual, international poetry prize open to everyone and anyone. This year, the competition had an ecopoetry and place theme and we invited poets to respond to the mounting pressures of the climate emergency, and human influence and impact over the environment.

The competition was judged by Tom Branfoot, Ella Duffy, Emily Oldfield and Dean Rogers Govender. We had a record number of entries and the winners represent remarkable achievements.

Dominic Leonard won First Prize in the 2024 competition for his poem ‘Eschatology’. Manchester Cathedral Writer-in-Residence and organiser of the competition, Tom Branfoot, described Dominic’s poem as “…an unsettling meditation on nature, consumption and pollution underpinned by a theological impulse.” Second Prize has been awarded to Rachel Bower for ‘Bilberry Bumblebee Haibun (Bombus monticola)’, and Third Prize to Richard Skinner for ‘Ingleby Greenhow’.

The winners will receive cash prizes and their poems are displayed in Manchester Cathedral. All winning and highly commended poems will be available in a pamphlet on the evening.

On Friday January 10th 2025, we will host the prize ceremony, readings from winning and highly commended poets including:

Rachel Bower
Richard Skinner
Yanita Georgieva
Madeleine Heyworth
Sally Baker
Janet Dean
Penny Sharman.

Those who cannot attend due to distance will perform their poems virtually. Light refreshments will be available at this free event celebrating these remarkable poetic responses the environment and place. This free event will take place between 6:30-8:30pm. All are welcome.