Wigtown Poetry Competition 2025 opens for entries tomorrow
Next year’s awards will be its 20th anniversary.
The Wigtown Poetry Prize Competition is getting ready to accept entries for next year’s awards.
Poets will be allowed to submit their work as of St Andrew’s Day.
Each year, hundreds of writers have put forward their work using Scotland’s three indigenous languages – Scots, Gaelic and English.
There are only two prizes for each of the three categories and the winners and runners-up will receive cash at the awards presentation.
All prizes for second place are £200, Scots and Gaelic winners will receive £500, and the international top prize is £1,500.
Chair of the Wigtown Poetry Prize Group Nick Walker says it’s important to keep these traditions alive:
“These languages are fundamental to Scottish culture. Much of heritage of the heritage of Scotland is derived from the Highlander Gaelic Celtic traditions which are inextricably connected to the Gaelic language.”
Funding for the creative arts sector has been tight recently but Walker is determined to keep this going.
“It is a challenge to think about funding for continuing the poetry prizes, but they are a core part of what the Wigtown Festival company does. They support writer development; they address the issues of Scotland’s indigenous language which need ongoing support.”
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Winning one of these awards has been described as the highlight of a writer's career as it can offer many opportunities after the competition.
“It is a phenomenal boost to confidence as a writer and as a poet and it can help develop a career, not just by boosting confidence but by also raising profile so that publications and magazines for example can be made aware”, says Walker.
Joint winner of the 2024 Wigtown International Prize Marcas Mac an Tuairneir said: “The Wigtown prizes are significant in that they promote inclusion and equal recognition of Scotland's three literary languages in our literature.
“Winning the Gaelic Prize in 2017 was a significant boost to my confidence, working in the language and I believe that the competition is significant in challenging our contemporary Gaelic poets to step up and keep refining their craft.
“The international Prize was a dream come true to win and underscored for me the reality that multilingual writers should aspire to being great writers across all their languages. To be the recipient of the award alongside Magi Gibson was a career highlight, and the memories of that night will remain with me until my last poem is written.”
The other joint winner, Magi Gibson, added: “The Wigtown Poetry Prize is highly respected, not just in Scotland but internationally too.
“More and more people are enthusiastic about poetry these days. At its best it not only connects us to a deeper truth, it soothes the storms of the soul.
“I especially value that entries to the Prize are read by the selected judge rather than a team of readers, and that all entries are anonymous.”