This article on the T. S. Eliot Prize was first published on the Poetry Book Society website in 2009.
The judges for the T. S. Eliot Prize, now in its seventeenth year, will be Simon Armitage (Chair), Colette Bryce and Penelope Shuttle.
The Prize, which has been described as the ‘world’s top poetry award’ (Louise Jury, the Irish Independent) is awarded annually to the writer of the best new collection of poetry published in the UK or Ireland. It is unique as it is always judged by a panel of established poets and it has been described by Andrew Motion as ‘the Prize most poets want to win’.
The judges will meet in late October to decide on the ten-book shortlist, which will be announced on 22 October.
The T. S. Eliot Shortlist Readings will take place on Sunday 17 January 2010 in the Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
The winner of the 2009 Prize will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 18 January 2010, when Mrs Valerie Eliot will present the winner with a cheque for £15,000 and the shortlisted poets will each receive £1,000.
This article has been republished to provide a fuller picture of the T. S. Eliot Prize history. The Poetry Book Society ran the T. S. Eliot Prize until 2016, when the T. S. Eliot Foundation took over the Prize, the estate having supported it since its inception.
