The Forward Prizes for Poetry are important awards in the UK that honor poetry. They are given every year at a public event in London. These awards were started in 1992 by William Sieghart to celebrate great poetry and help more people enjoy it. The prizes find and recognize talented poets by considering poetry collections published in the UK and Ireland in the past year. Single poems can also be entered if they are suggested by editors or prize organizers. Every year, poems that are shortlisted for the prizes, as well as those highly praised by judges, are included in the Forward Book of Poetry.

Since the awards began, they have been supported by the marketing company Bookmark, which was previously known as Forward Worldwide. The prize for the best first poetry collection is supported by the estate of Felix Dennis.

In 2021, the Forward Prizes for Poetry marked their 30th anniversary. In 2023, a new award was added for the best performance of a poem.

Awards

The Forward Prizes for Poetry include four awards:

• The Forward Prize for Best Collection, £10,000
• The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection, £5,000
• The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (written) in memory of Michael Donaghy, £1,000
• The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (performed), £1,000

The prizes are managed by the Forward Arts Foundation, which also organizes National Poetry Day. The executive director of the Forward Arts Foundation is Susannah Herbert.